The STALKERs of Zero
by Smuggler of the West
Summary: When Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière wanted a wise, powerful, and beautiful familiar to call her own, an unlikely incident happened within the borders of the Zone and elsewhere, plucking three unlikely stalkers and a destined kid in Japan from their world and into her's. Shots will fly, s#!% will explode, and there will be bandit polka. Contains 100% of pure ass kicking.
1. Chapter 1: Clear as the Skies above

A/N: _I do not own the STALKER series and Familiar of Zero. All OC contents are created and owned by me. This story will be based heavily on the manga, partial from the anime, and includes violent shenanigans improvised from my thoughts mixed with the gritty reality that is the Zone. Some elements will follow Clear Sky, Shadow of Chernobyl, and Call of Pripyat. All weapons, armor, anomalies, and artifacts will follow CoP rules, with the exception of callbacks. Factions may vary. _

_Please leave any critique so I might fix anything I've missed. If you have any problem identifying the words used, Google it or use your imagination._

_That is all._

_Edit: Portions of the Light Novel will be added, after much considerations, into the later arcs of the story.  
_

Chapter 1

**Clear as the Skies above**

* * *

Clear sky.

That is always a good omen for me whenever I go out to find artifacts as per usual before or after an emission. I hardly go outside when it rains or when Noah is sometimes heard preaching on top of his 'ark' about his hypocritical hatred for all mutants, despite owning one when I heard a stalker mentioning it to his buddies. Funny enough, the swarming of mutants did happen not too long ago after the news of important military soldiers pulling from the Zone in Pripyat. It was a good thing I was inside the Skadovsk during that time of terror. The damn Snorks clawing at the front door kept me up all night in fear that one might sneak in through topside and eat my face off.

My boots landed on the rusted steel floors of the derelict ship as my nostrils flared at the familiar scent of fresh wind blowing inside. The door closed with a resounding slam while I perched my ears to make sure that loon isn't going off his meds today. With no signs of any indicated ranting, I gave a quiet sigh of satisfaction at the calm before me and walked out to the opens of the swamp lands. The smell of the swampy air wasn't exactly invigorating, but it held that particular detail that tends to leave me guessing all the time. Sometimes it would smell like rotten eggs coated with a sickening sweet texture. Other times, it would be industrial hair spray and cinnamon. The list would go on and on. I've asked the others about it, but they never seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary beside wet and boggy. It could just be me, for all I know, but I wasn't going to pay any mind to it now since today was a special day for me.

Today is the day I get my high-end order from Nimble after he gets back tonight.

Now, I'm not one to brag since _anyone_ can just buy special merchandises from him, but this one was different. Nimble knew I had a thing for owning historical items. The reason for that was easily known when I pulled out a brass pocket watch from the pocket of my leather jacket, completed with a fob and chain, on the upper deck where he usually resided in. I was checking the time and realized that the clock had stopped so I winded it up to keep it ticking once more. The little watch caught his eye and he had asked me if I liked watches. I told him I was into old stuff that holds a history in them. Being the shady salesman that he is, he offered me a deal that was expensive, but "worth the money" as he put it. Nimble explained that he could get me a good suit of battle armor with a balance of both anomalous and fighting capabilities that held a long history of its own during the early times of the Zone.

Hearing that, I was suspicious since I heard rumors that most of his 'acquired' items came from dead stalkers pilfered from their bodies so I had my doubts at first. He reassured me that his business is legit, stating that he had conducted previous sales with full customer satisfaction; the only setback was that I would have to play item roulette with my rubles due to the fact that what I would be getting at random, I will have to pay for it when it comes whether it fit me or not.

Then again, most of what I saw from the Loners and, surprisingly, Bandits, were unique and better than the stock equipment everyone owned. When I asked some of them, they mentioned about a special dealer usually hanging around the top deck above the bar. Of course, I was curious but dismissed the idea that I would ever need a bedazzled, shiny piece of equipment to improve my chances of survival.

So what made me go up there; Happy Hours.

Yes, there is such thing as that in the Zone. No, the 100 Rads Bar is not the only popular place that does it. Let's just say I'm not exactly into large crowds, _especially_ large crowds with bandits inside the rusted sanctuary at night.

Barks of blind dogs can be heard at a far distance from where I am at and yet I kept walking across the marshlands, avoiding the various pools of water around me while keeping an eye for any appearance of danger that might or might not leap at me at any given moment. Like always, the weather was cold and breezy as a small gust brushed past me and I shivered for a bit while pressing onward Northwest to the Burnt Farmstead.

"50,000 rubles better be worth whatever the hell I am getting." I muttered behind the balaclava through clenched teeth.

50,000. That is enough dough to buy me a good TV set or a brand new futon that even folds properly! 9,000 for down payment while 41,000 for the final purchase. As much as I wanted to believe myself that he wasn't swindling me out of my money, I still doubted that he could get me a suit that wasn't a piece of shit falling apart inside. That would leave me with 10,000 rubles, enough to last for a few more months if I have a decent shooter (which is being modified by Cardan right now) and some ammo. Hopefully, I can recover my funding by just artifact hunting since Beard pays good on specific finds.

My ears picked up shots fired in barrages at the Farmstead when I was close to getting there. Quickly I ran over to a nearby bush and hid behind the dry cover to avoid being spotted by whoever was firing in the first place. As I peered over the edge, I saw a couple of black trench coaters with AKM-74/2Us fighting three Loners armed with Hunting Shotguns and an AKM-74/2. I can tell one of them is definitely experienced since he is wearing a Sunrise suit and holding an assault rifle, while the other two are obviously rookies. The bandits, on the other hand, are also experienced with the way they are constantly strafing while moving forward. I'll admit, skirmishes like these are something I don't just head straight on guns blazing like those American bootlegs shown on TV and I have no qualms waiting them out so I can continue on to what I am doing, so for now I will just sit on my ass and watch the show until one side is the victor.

Call me a heartless bastard or a coward if you will, but I'm just playing it smart so I can live longer. Besides, I'm poorly covered and I only have a UDP Compact on me with three mags to spare; my Viper got demolished beyond repair when a boar stepped on it, alright?

One of the rookies fell with bloody holes riddling his torso while the other tried to use the low ground for cover. The sunrise fellow managed to down a bandit before receiving a bullet to the face from his pissed off buddy. That now leaves one trench coater and a rookie who might as well be shitting himself for his turn of an unfortunate event. If I were him, I would be running away as fast as my legs can carry me.

And what does he do? He just keeps fighting on as if his vengeance will meant anything instead of taking the easy way out. What an idiot.

"Eat this, scum!" The doomed rookie shouted angrily as he took out a grenade, unpinned it, and lob the live frag at the surprised bandit.

"Oh shit!" The bandit scurried away from becoming meat patty. The grenade soon exploded, throwing up dirt in the air but it did not harm the man at all. Lucky him, I guess.

Hah…

Well, let see who lives and who dies. I got the time.

* * *

_Zero! The nerve of them to call me that name!_

Louise Françoise Le Blancde La Valliére, or the Zero as most of Tristain student's called her, stormed into her room and slam the door shut. She was seething over the mockingly given runic name they provided and hastily undressed her school uniform to change into a night gown. With an irritated sigh, she hoisted herself up and under the soft covers of the bed and stared off the wall. Tomorrow will be the Springtime Familiar Summoning Ritual exam for second years in the academy and what have she done to solve her mishaps?

Even with all the extended studies and research, Louise still couldn't figure out her inability to cast magic. With every casting, only explosions were the results of her failure. The rest of her peers can cast their spells just fine, so why couldn't she do the same like them?

The name title continued to echo in her mind, causing her to tighten her grip on the blanket and her face to strain in frustration. Damn that Zerbst and her useless chest fat she always flaunts around to get attention. She will not lose against her, even if the family feud must go on longer. The Rule of Steel enforces her will to never give up or show weakness.

She will show them all what a great and honorable noble is made of by summoning the wisest, powerful, and beautiful familiar that will give its full loyalty to her at every command. Just they wait.

Louise turned her gaze toward her window where the moons hung magnificently amidst by the young night and smiled at the sight. Perhaps fate and the will of Brimir might answer her prayers after all if she keeps going to meet her goals.

Perhaps. Perhaps not. She will have to see to it for herself when the day comes.

Her eyelids grew heavier as she slowly sank into a deep sleep, some part of her desperately wanting a miracle to happen just to save face and not deal with the ridicule anymore.

If all goes well, her family will be proud of her success. Mother would not be disappointed at her lack of magic.

_My very own majestic familiar_…

* * *

So, here I am watching these two duking it out for who knows how long and so far not one of them is dead yet. Despite how ill-equipped the rookie was, I am a little surprised this one is still breathing after all the beatings he is taking. A bullet wound on his left leg, a couple splotches on the right shoulder. At this point, he should have been on the ground with injuries like those. The bandit isn't faring any better since he's sporting a bad leg as well from a well-placed pellet spray. Now and then, they would trade insults between shots like "You son of a bitch" or "Suck my cock", blah blah blah; this and that, pretty much. It kind of reminds me of that bitch fight Duty and Freedom will usually have when one of the greenies would bring up the 'Tachenko Scandal' as they liked to call it. From what I heard, the General and his close-knitted elite team died like bitches and that Duty tried to cover it up with a weak-ass story of how he disappeared during one of their artifact hunts. I thought it was funny how ironic the original founder's goal of an organization bent on destroying the Zone was no different than ours.

The rookie with the hunting shotgun finally took the hint that he was fucked when a bullet landed in his gut and he fell down in a crying heap of pain. Trench coater puts away his AK carbine and unholsters his pistol for the final kill. His corny attempt at an evil laughter almost made me groan aloud. Why is it that nearly every bandit needs to pretend they did something notorious that it should be a big deal to everyone?

He finally got close (probably too close, in my opinion) enough to aim his peashooter directly (and I mean 'point blank range') at the heavily wounded loner and wanted to provide a one-liner before shooting him in the face. I could only roll my eyes as I carefully walked out from the bush and quietly make my way toward him while he tries to find a good quote to use. My right hand reached for the Compact at my side and I grasped the handle with a slow pull, the thumb flicking the safety off as I got closer.

My feet treaded the ground with ease while I kept my eyes on his backside. When I was at a considerable distance, I stopped and aimed my pistol at the unwary sap who finally decided to come up with a catchphrase that even I was left impressed with even if he is a thug. Well, soon-to-be-dead one anyway…

"The Zone says hello, bit-"

_Pafpafpafpafpafpafpafpaf!_

Boy, if I could see the look on his face, he would be pretty surprised to have half a clip emptied at his back by automatic fire. I will have to thank Nitro again if I ever decided to stop by Yanov. Yeah, it is overkill and I should be conserving ammo for later times but hey at least I get to have my fun. The pistol itself has two settings, so if I wanted to single fire then I'll switch to it. Besides, I can always scavenge off from dead bandits and loners much like what I intend to do right now after I dealt with the wounded rookie.

Judging from the glare I'm receiving from him as I approach, I can assume he knows or heard of me during my first stay or so.

Nonetheless, loners never kill one another over anything; even I have standards for this, unlike those trigger happy mercenaries and their 'shoot everyone on sight' policy. Sidorovich and Barkeep are only worried about other stalkers because it might interfere with their business. In a way, that is understandable. But it is not something I would totally agree with.

"Hey bro," I try to make myself look conspicuously friendly even though I was still holding on to my gun, "you're not hurt too badly, yeah? You… need some help?"

"Shove it! I know who you are!" He spat out.

"C'mon, I just heard the commotion. It's not like I'm going to kill you or anything."

"So says the _Farmer_." Huh, shit. "I've heard talks about you. Skulking around, waiting out for every fight just to take what you want." The rookie moaned at the intense pain coming from the wounds he sustained.

I could only give a nonchalant shrug at his comment. What he said is _mostly_ true to some extents of my dirty means of getting stuff. I have no shame, but I don't see any reason for him to get angry at me for wanting to live. It's not like I conned him with shitty equipment or trick people into giving me their guns like Snag.

"Just so you know… I don't just follow people around in hopes of getting free shit. That happens when I stumble upon these situations and take advantage of it." I gave a half murmur and replaced my gun with a med kit in hand when I pulled it out of my backpack. "It's not my problem if I don't want to risk my neck out for others."

In an ironic twist, what I just said now was pure hypocrisy. It's true that I rather watch them shoot at each other and take their belongings once everyone is dead. It is true that I have the attitude of a loner, but a mindset of a bandit. If I truly didn't care about my fellow loners, I could've left him for dead by not helping. Saying what I said while applying the disinfectant and bandages may probably confuse him.

"If you don't care, then why are helping me?" The rookie hissed, wincing at the tight wrap I was making.

I rolled my eyes. "Do I look that apathetic? If I was in your situation, you might, and I am putting this lightly, _might_ help me out despite my questionable reputation." Which sort of means that I would have to owe them something out of my pocket.

Speaking of which, a dead stalker is no good if they owe you favors in the first place or when they are going to owe you one. See, I can be good and tricky at the same time.

With a few more wraps, I stood up and examine my work. "Eh, it'll do. Just make sure you get those bullets out later. Nothing major is hit, but you will need someone who knows better than me to confirm it."

"Thanks, I guess…" The man grumbled at me in a mixture of gratitude and anger. I'm not sure how these two go together, but as the Americans say: 'Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.'

"So," Brushing my hands together, "I hope you don't mind if I look through your friend's belongings, hm?" My eyes shifted to the AKM-74/2 still gripped in deceased sunrise wearer's fingers. I can tell he wasn't exactly happy with my statement. "Since… well, you do kind of owe me now."

If looks can kill, I might say his would be shooting out like jet streams of Burners at the Burnt Farmstead. My hands were raised at the renewed hostility.

"Relax. I just want food, meds, and bullets. You can have the AR and whatnot. Hell, why don't you sift through your dead friend's stuff while I focus on the bandits. Anything you leave behind I will take, deal?"

With a defeated sigh, he let out a quiet "Fine" and took the assault rifle with him while digging through the bags. As for me, I opted for the bandit on my far left and went through the body to see if he has anything useful. What I need is 5.45mm bullets, maybe a little more .45 cals, bandages, med kits (if I am lucky), and some Tourist's Breakfasts. I could use some bread as well, but I rather buy them from the bar than take them off dead bodies; it's unsanitary.

I rummage inside the bag and found some mags of 19x9mm JHP and a Martha that have seen better days, so I ditch the gun itself and took the remaining mag instead. A couple mags for the carbine AK was also found along with an RGD-5 grenade, but no food or meds sadly enough. Like the Martha, the AK-74/2U was beaten up and held little value for me to sell so I did the same as I always do. After that was done I move on to the second bandit, near the rookie, who was splayed on the ground in a comical position. I emptied the contents of the bag on the ground and saw a Kora-919 drop out, among other things. A few mags for the AK and Kora, two bandages, a med kit, and a diet sausage that I don't think I will keep because of germs and stuff. The guns themselves are fine, but I went for the AK since Koras are kind of shitty when it comes to hitting your mark and fire rate.

"I'm done." The rookie loner said to me, got up, and went toward the farmstead with a Bear Detector in hand. I soon did a look over though the other two bodies and found nothing of use for me other than the shotgun. It was in near perfect condition, so maybe I can hold on to that and sell it to Owl once I get back. The AK-74/U2 that I have isn't good at hitting things and is not as reliable like its bigger counterpart because overheat is a bitch, but I could always use a backup rifle just in case. If not, then I can just salvage it as well.

Pulling out my Veles Detector and a bolt after I strapped the guns on my pack (making sure to eject any rounds for safety reasons), I noted the green dots displayed on the screen and headed toward the anomaly field but kept watch on any disturbance of flowing air currents. You can never be too careful around things such as anomalies. In every emission they change spots so it is always better if you can identify the signs of where they are. One guy I was with in my past travels, provided that he never heard or cared about my rep, got one of his foot incinerated when he stepped too close to a Burner while tracking a moving artifact. The moment he fell down, his head landed on another one and that was the end of it for him. As for me, most of everyone thought I killed him and stayed away after that incident. Now and then rumors would spread on how much of a psychopath I am for not caring. Personally, I just didn't give a fuck what they say and went on my merry ways as usual.

I did _warn_ him that he was stepping too close, but did he listen? Noooooo!

. . .

. . .

Frickin' background whispering... drives me nuts sometimes. I wonder if it's the heat getting to me.

* * *

There he goes again… the sneaky Small Farmer, reaping his crops as always. Heard he has quite the collection of artifacts in his trunk. Might need to keep following him until the day is done and he goes back to shipwreck haven just like all the other stalkers. It is only just a matter of time before the night comes and then the plan can be set into action.

A slim man in a bandit jacket hidden underneath a black trench coat watched through his binoculars while laying prone one the ground. Another person next to him, in a brown BDU mercenary suit, sat against the sloped hills to cover the openings around them and briefly scanned with his Viper 5 at the ready.

"Boss," he asked him, "when do we rob him? All this sitting around is making me antsy."

The leader of this particular group muttered "Soon" and still didn't take his eyes off the two loners going on their business as usual.

"But how soon do we go?"

"As soon as we corner the Farmer inside Skadovsk and take his artifacts after night falls and everyone is asleep. The haven welcomes all of us, so there should not be any problems getting in. There we will find him and make him squeal until he caves in." The boss explained.

"I see now. That is a perfect plan there, boss."

"Of course it is perfect," He interjected, "too perfect for us to mess it up! No one would suspect two more bandits without a second glance, simple as that."

"Yes, of course." His lackey agreed and went silent.

Keep gathering those artifacts, Farmer. Soon, what is yours will be ours and when you come around again, we will be long gone by then. It would be fitting if you have the background of one, which will even be more amusing to no end. Muhahahahahaha!

Hopefully, Sultan does not take notice of us treading on his territory. Stalkers may not care who they shoot at as long as they are bandits, but the old coot pays more attention to what is going on. The very last thing is to have a hit placed on us.

"Looks like they are going to move on to another anomaly for harvest, Dwarf; let us do the same."

"Sure thing, Shishak," Dwarf replied right away.

Yes, everything is going according as planned. I'll show that Jack and his merry band of dumb shits who is the better thief, me!

* * *

…seven mags from the AK carbines, two mags from the Kora, three from the Martha, an explosive grenade, one Fireball, one Mama's Beads, and a Crystal. Not bad for this run. A bit plentiful than the previous trek when all I found in the Scar Anomaly is a Moonlight and a Bubble inside the underground cavern of the farmstead. The long walk combined with the exposure from the noxious gases and pounding headaches would not be possible without drugs, since I had to scrap my sunrise and gas mask due to the damages of corrosion and large tears. At least Anti-rads, Antidotes, and Hercules are cheap here even though Owl is still a cash whore.

"Are you going to keep watch or stare off at nothing?" My supposed 'travel companion' barked at me in annoyance when we left not far from the farmstead.

Oh yeah, that. Why am I following him?

"Dude, you must be crazy enough to head for another anomaly field, much less the Claw Anomaly." I pointed at his bullet wounds. "With all the shit you took, it's no wonder you're still standing."

He gave me a death glare in return, "Well, maybe if someone actually _bothered_ to help out, then I would not be like this in the first place!"

"Fair enough." I shrugged. "I'm kind of surprised you didn't shoot me when given the chance."

"I need another pair of eyes to watch out for anything that can kill us." He said and did his half walk/limp hobble. "And since you did heal me, I am willing to set aside our differences for the time being."

Which explains why I'm heading there with him; both of us made plans for that area.

. . .

Huh, for someone who was pissed at me for not backing up others during fights, he sure is pretty chill about leaving his dead friends lying there.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not one to judge heavily on what other people do. I just thought it would be more respectful if he toss their bodies into the Burner anomalies for cremation.

Or… maybe he doesn't want to deal with the smells. Burning flesh can be very nauseating, obviously.

We moved past Izumrudnoye, making sure no mutants sprung out from the covers of the long deserted village and kept following the path to where the Fuel Station is at. So far, nothing out of the ordinary beside a few passing loners who gave me dirty looks to which I ignored. Thankfully, no bandit patrols were present but I was not going to let my guard down in this land. The Zone isn't exactly a walk in the park as most wide-eyed rookies failed to see. When I was told by Fanatic that I was heading into a place where weird shit goes on in a daily basis, he wasn't kidding around. Imagine trying to eat something that used to be a normal pig. Fleshes, they call them. God, the moment I saw one of these things I thought it was an oversized Head Crab with eyes from that game I played.

Makes me regret on not bringing a crowbar with me at that time since all I had was a measly PMn pistol and a knife in the beginning. I should have asked that fat old man if he sold crowbars.

Hmm, maybe I can ask Owl about that later.

I did a quick glance to the rookie and noted how crappy and beaten the AK-74/2 looked cradled in his arms. I don't know about him, but that thing needs some serious tune-up if he plans on keeping it for long terms. This gives me an idea.

"Hey, if you want, I can fix that shooter up for you. Buff out the chips and scratches, replace some worn parts, and give it a good cleaning… etcetera. It's gonna cost you, though."

He scoffed at my offer and muttered something about a Cardan knock-off under his breath. Fine, I was going to charge him cheaper than what our technician's prices usually are but if he thinks I can't repair a gun properly than it's his loss. Granted, I'm not as precise much like how Cardan does it, but I don't doubt my skills in fixing up a battered shooter into working conditions; all I need are parts. I don't know how to modify the guns, though, so that's leave me at a disadvantage.

I took out my pocket watch to check the time and saw it was only mid-afternoon, 4:00 PM to be exact. The sun was still high, if I could call the cloudy atmosphere above us that. He and I were almost drawing near the Claw Anomaly field right before a small pack of blind dogs wandered across the path and suddenly charged at us. For me, three dogs with 8 bullets left in the mag seemed too easy. Add the automatic fire feature and a second guy covering my back, and look like another day for us. Unfortunately the guy I am with is still fucked up from the last shooting and those dogs are closing in fast. Put two together and I am definitely positive most of the work will be piled on me. Oh well.

_Bap-bap-bapbapbap!_

_Pafpafpafpafpafpafpafpaf!_

The guy next to me brought his rifle to bear, firing some clumsy shots at our charging attackers, while I did the same and let loose a barrage of bullets hoping that most of them will connect.

Under our combined firepower, two dogs were down while the third sported a limp from a couple grazes at close range. It was still charging at us, directly toward me, and there was no time to reload. I was about to bring my knife out until it leapt and made me fallback.

Fortunately for me, the ground was dry. Unfortunately, there is now a vicious blind dog bearing down on my body and trying to rip my throat and/or eat my face out in any order I should not be concerning myself with right now. My dumbfounded buddy is now trying to decide whether he should wrestle the dog off me, which by the way will set its attention on him, or shoot it, possibly killing me in the process. Yeah, good luck for him.

For me, however, attempting to dislodge agile animals off me was simple enough. The most effective area in stunning a dog is to hit the throat and wrestle it to the ground while repeatedly punching the fucker in the face. Yelling the most brutal swears you can think of also works better to your advantage with every hit, but that is optional.

To which I did, because I obviously don't want to die and punching things to death makes a great stress reliever. Plus, I get to work out my body since the Zone can be considered an extreme workout routine with everything and everyone trying to kill you. Even most of the artifacts you find generate radiation and will kill you slowly without another one to soak it up from your body. It's funny how a Firefly can heal AND poison you at the same time or a Snowflake giving you the stamina of an adrenaline junkie on crack while you suffer the withdrawals at the end. Not the best analogy, but I'm not a walking book full of puns and poetry.

"I think it's dead." Hm? What was that? "Bro, you don't need to keep smacking it anymore..."

When stopped at that statement, I look down to find my handy work bloodied and battered to the point where I did not notice my hands were starting to hurt until now.

Oh.

"Ow."

"Wow. Is that all you can say? 'Ow'?" He deadpanned, probably a self-defense mechanism for how freaked out he must be, and checked his mag when he realized he was standing there watching the whole time.

"Oh, shut up. It's not like you did anything to get it off me." I snapped back and picked myself up. Brushing the dirt off my body, along with wiping the blood off my knuckles, I fished out a mag from my coat pocket and reloaded my pistol. After that, I readjusted my backpack and ushered him to come.

"Let's get going while there is still light. I rather not stay out here when night comes around."

Wordlessly, he agreed and we set out to the Claw once more.

If I could ever call Zaton my home, I'd probably find it more comforting being here than from my previous stay at the Yanov station. I mean, it was great and everything until I got tired of the bantering between Duty and Freedom across the main room. The little war they were currently having didn't help me in my search as I, strangely enough, tend to be caught in almost every crossfire during my travels to the Quarry for a Firefly. Long story short, I got what I was looking for after a few visits but I ended up in the middle of another unwanted firefight with Duty and Freedom going at it again. At least they had the decency to warn me before they opened fire at each other. Yeah, I'm pretty sure "Get out of here, Stalker!" and "Dude, catch ya later for another blunt if you're not dead yet!" seems like a reaaaaaal legitimate warning for me right after the shooting begins. How I wish they stopped waving their dicks around and focus on the killer mutants plaguing the area. Fucking Bloodsuckers…

Oh well, just another day in the Zone.

"Looks like we're here," The rookie whose name I do not know pointed at the oddly shaped rock formation that resembled its namesake, hence the Claw. Wasting no time, we scanned around the area for anyone or anything only to meet a calm hum of Spingboards.

I checked my Compact again before we begin our search for artifacts and gestured to him that the coast was clear.

"Careful, there might be Snorks hanging around inside their nest. Let's just do our thing and get out." My head panned around for any signs of movement at the cavern. "God, I hate those things."

"Welcome to the club," he grunted and waved his detector at the Springboards.

A brief moment of silence, albeit the beeping from his Bear, lasted between us and I suddenly felt the urge to start talking again while I maneuver around the anomalies.

"I never got your name, by the way." I asked. "You a newbie here?"

A faint rush of air blew from his mouth as he turned his to me, "Ruslan Oleksander. How about you? Why do the people here call you 'Farmer'?"

"That is my last name. My first is Pavlo. Pavlo Yure." I mentioned it off-handedly. "I guess you can say I like to hang around the Farmstead to pick my 'crops', hence the name."

"Oh? Does that also explain why you never help others around?"

"Hey, I mind my own business. Do you think I will just rush into a fight without a good reason?" I had to put away my gun and detector in order to climb the Claw and reach for that one artifact on top of the peak. "And even if I do have one, what makes you think I'm doing it out of the goodness of my heart? The Zone does not just let everyone walk away unscathed. Here, you have to make hard choices if you want to stay alive and get rich."

Avoiding that one Springboard next to me, I took out my Veles and out comes a Wrenched popping from another existence. I don't know how that is possible, but I'm not going to bother with physics. Science made it happened. There.

"I heard rumors about you," Ruslan called from below, scooping a Gravi off the floor. "They say you would kill anyone for an artifact just by pushing them into an anomaly once they found it."

A wave of frustration (and possibly nausea) washed over me when I heard him say that. I gritted my teeth slightly instead of answering right away. Only one dot remained on the screen when my eyes veered toward it.

"So, is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"That you push people into anomalies?"

. . .

"Where did you get that from?" I asked him, keeping myself cool from snapping out of annoyance.

"I overheard Magpie mention it to his hunting friends." Oh, _him_. "Before he kicked it after Gonta found him."

I let out a large sigh to let him know how irritated I am before speaking again, "No, I do _not_ push people into anomalies just to steal their artifacts. I never killed anyone beside the bandits here. Also, Magpie was a shit-eating liar who didn't know how to keep his filthy hole for a mouth shut. Now, is there anything else you want to know about me, hmmmm!?"

Gah, I hate it when I get testy over small things. Some are easy to ignore, but when it comes out wrong I get easily upset.

"Alright, alright, chill bro! I'm just making sure you're not a psycho or anything." Yeah, that is putting it very _lightly_.

I climbed down the sloped peak, making sure not to touch the floating Springboard, and landed on the ground next to Oleksander peering into the empty cavity filled with more anomalies. The sound of our Geiger counters clicked at a nearly fast pace the more we got closer to it. Note to self: remember to buy rad-pro pills next time. Anti-rad shots can only last me so far and they are not easy to find.

Ruslan rubbed his hands together, "Seems like we're done for the day."

"Nope," I shook my head and pointed at the screen of my detector, "only one more left."

"Then what are you waiting for? Go get it." He flicked his head to reinforce the message.

Instead, I just stared at him with a devious glint in my eyes while I offered the detector to him. "I have a better idea. Why don't you get it for yourself? Score something big. I bet you it's a Goldfish."

This took him by surprise at my generous offer, given so freely and out of nowhere that he could only manage a suspicious glare directed at me. "H-how do I know this isn't a-a trick?"

My face formed a smirk behind the balaclava while I gestured him to take it. "You want me to prove how trustworthy I am, then go for it. I'll even give you an anti-rad once you're out. You can still walk, right?"

"Y-yes…"

"Good. Just get the artifact while I cover you. Better make it fast; it is starting to get dark now."

He looked at the screen, then to the pit, then at me, and back at the screen again. Judging from the nervous glances casted around I say he was a bit hesitant to go in there. Looks like I'll have to prod him a bit more.

"Look, if you don't want it then I can just take it and-"

"No, no. I'll do it." He snatched the Veles out of my hand, then jab his index at my chest. "This better not be a trick."

"Oh, believe me, it's not. I'm just getting tired of people accusing me for a backstabber. Once they figured someone in my group, provided it is just the two of us, actually manage to live and score a whopping rare artifact, I won't have to deal with those assholes glaring at me anymore." My explanation left him with an eyebrow raised. "See what I mean?"

With a heavy sigh, Ruslan threw a bolt to find an opening. Once that is done, he carefully climbed down the Claw's cavity pit and continued to fling another one while checking on the Veles I let him borrowed.

"Oh, and when you're done making sure you don't die horribly in there, I would like to have my detector back." I called out.

"Haha fuck you." He replied back.

"Thanks." I glanced up at the sky. The sun had just set and it was only a matter of time before the spooks of the night come out to play. I wasn't planning on staying out here any longer if he took his time. Even if I don't get my Veles back, I can find another exo-zombie later and replace it.

"Got it!" Well, about time. "You were right, it is a Goldfish!"

"Swell. Now climb out so we can get the hell out of here. I think I heard some growling from the cave." My eyes kept looking towards the entrance of the Snork tunnel as I flick the setting to automatic just in case. "Once we get back to Skadovsk, cash it or keep it. I don't care. Standing near the radiation is making me feel like shit."

I'll worry more about cancer later. All I want now is to make like a tree and fucking leave.

Looking back down, I noticed he was near the edge and help pulled him up rather hastily. He winced a little from the sudden tug, but said nothing to me.

"Good." I took an anti-rad shot out and give it to him. "This will flush out all the radioactive crap and then some. Can we go now?"

The distant snarls echoed out of the cave as a cue for us to make a fucking run it as the first gas-masked horror came leaping out for its first meal of the day.

"OH FUCK!" Both of us yelled in unison.

* * *

"Oh fuck," I breathed a sigh of relief while leaning against the now sealed bulkhead door. Some of the early arrivals chuckled at me before returning back to whatever they were doing.

Pricks.

"Here." A Veles detector was shoved back in my hands. "Thanks for the help, _partner_."

Ruslan walked away to the bar, probably selling the artifact he got (with my help, of course) while I stood away from the door and opted for the wall instead. A few painful seconds from a needle stinging my thigh and I felt fresh as rain all over again. Discarding the used shot in a garbage can, my tired legs carried me to the now empty counter as I place all the artifacts I found, except for the Mama's Beads, and let Beard do the calculations.

"Do you want it as electronic transfer or cash?" Beard asked.

"Cash," I replied, "Full cash, please."

He examined my findings and took them in one by one, placing two considerable stacks of Rubles that netted me 11,200. Add that up with the 10,000 and it is 21,200 RUs. I still have to leave out the larger portion to pay Nimble.

"So, I heard you helped a rookie find a rare artifact, is that right?" Damn him and his cheeky grin.

The only words he could elicit out of me were a few grunts that sounded like "The usual meal" and "Stop patronizing me" while I shoved most of the earnings inside my coat pockets and left some amount to pay for my food. Beard took the sum, making sure to count the amount, and took out a loaf of bread, an unopened Tourist's Breakfasts, and a bottle of water from underneath the counter. I took a gander around and saw that all the tables were packed with stalkers I don't know, newbies hanging out with their groups, and the occasional bandits that I recognized giving me the finger.

"You can eat here; I don't mind. Just scoot on the side and then we'll have a friendly chit-chat." His cheerful expression was plastered all over his face as if he's Santa Claus coming to greet the children. Looking at a guy who accepts bandits here, I wouldn't be surprised.

I turned my body around to face him, all in a while trying to open the can with a Swiss army knife, and muttered more incoherent words at him.

"So," he began. "How is that collection going for you?"

"Fine." I answered back in monotone. The top was cut opened and I look down to see a familiar sight inside.

Mystery meat again, oh goody; might as well get it over with and hope the bread makes it taste better than last time.

. . .

. . .

"You know, I kept hearing about your run-in with Awl and Petruha from the other stalkers in the area. Awl told me you got him out of the Boiler Anomaly yesterday when an emission started and led them to a small cave…"

Shit.

He's talking about the hideout next to the Farmstead I found while exploring. That place could have been my secret spot, similar to the Substation underground room in Jupiter, if it weren't for those two. Ever since Snag disappeared from the Yanov station, I've been using his secret stash room with the safe. How do I know where it is? Simple: I followed him. If I remembered correctly, a couple loners mentioned about a stalker's personal box being looted by Snag and he somehow found the snake-in-the-grass at the abandoned Substation. In the end he got off easily and continued to live that day, but not without returning all the shit he took. Last I saw him, he was still hanging around the Duty occupied area and left without anyone noticing the next day. After that incident, I went to check on his stash and was surprised that he didn't bother to take them with him. Being the good stalker that I am, I secured the old place, called it my own and put some furniture in like a mattress and some makeshift shelves. An awesome safe house, if I could say so myself. I wonder if anyone found it yet.

"…and I couldn't believe that you would threaten them to keep it a secret or else you will pour vodka inside their rifle barrels." He exclaimed in humor. Damn it, I told them to keep their trap shut. Now everyone is going to pay attention to me.

"I… wasn't actually serious when I said it." The mystery meat was scooped and spread inside the open pocket of the bread. Why couldn't it be tuna salad yesterday? There are no freaking labels on these things.

Beard gave a hearty laugh and gave me a hard pat on the shoulder, much to my inner cringing, and leaned back to catch his breath for a while. All in all, my legs were still sore from having to run so much from the pack of Snorks and are ready to give out from the constant standing.

"I wish you put chairs in this place," I muttered at him even though the noise of conversation drowned it out. One of my fingers tugs the mask down so I can eat.

"What was that?"

"I didn't say anything." I lied, taking a bite from my mystery sandwich. "Probably your imagination."

At least the taste is better.

"Nothing to worry about, then." Beard flashed another one of his jovial smile, whereas I only showed a bored frown to hide my annoyance. I may never understand how he can be so happy in this environment. Barkeep and Sidorovich hardly smiles let alone crack a joke, and this guy is all sunshine and vodka. I can be happy, too, but not THIS happy.

"By the way, any sign of Nimble?" I asked him. Another bite from the sandwich and it now tasted like chicken. Huh.

Beard nodded his head and pointed upstairs. "In a matter of fact, he just got back from his trip to smuggle a special package. Business has been thriving for all of us after someone took care of the mutant problems. The bandits have been behaving themselves as well; I've never seen Sultan so lax before. Perhaps these changes will benefit us for a long, if not temporary, term. Don't you agree?"

Always the optimistic one when it comes to moments like these, especially when those moments don't last too long and someone important winds up dead or worse. Sometimes, I see something in his eyes… almost like he's planning something big but he doesn't have to move a finger like Sultan. Despite the obvious, even you perplex me, Beard.

"We'll have to see what happens next." I responded.

Scarfing the rest of the food down, I twisted the cap of my water bottle and sipped for a repeated amount of time until I emptied the entire contents. Throwing that away somewhere, I backed from the counter and made my leave upstairs to conduct important businesses in hopes of scoring something big of my own soon.

"Take care, now! Skadovsk isn't going anywhere. Hahahaha!"

Right…

* * *

"Next!"

Professor Colbert signaled for the next student to commence their summoning while they are outside on the field. So far, so good for this term's Springtime Familiar Summoning Ritual exam with all the second years lining up to receive the familiar that represents their true self by invoking the given incantation rite. Seeing how everything is going smoothly for now, he has no doubt that once everyone have completed the summoning and get to know their familiars will things take an interesting turn of event in the upcoming exhibition.

Well, almost everyone.

As he watched the line go by, he had noticed that Louise was last in line and seems to be nervous about how her summoning will go. The lack of ability to cast proper magic on her part validates her tension, and yet she still put up a mask of pride to hide her fear of failure and ridicule. Despite his blank expression, he did sympathize with her reason of worry of what might become the greatest disaster if she were to fail. If only there was an answer to why her results were different than the rest of the students who could manage their casting just fine. Of course, it was a big mystery that he himself could not solve much like Old Osmand's true age.

For now, he will have to do with continuing the ritual and see if anything changes for her.

At the end of line, Louise was doing her best not to show any signs of emotional weakness because her pride as a noble and the Rule of Steel would not allow her to breakdown. She will accomplish her exam and show everyone that she is not a zero that they think of her as. The familiar reflects the mage, and with her effort and poise her familiar will make them all respect her as their equal, no, _as_ _their better_. None shall compare with her magnificence that not even her eternal rival, the cursed Kirche, will have any more playful insults to spew. If Louise could bring upon herself to hope more upon Brimir's will, it might as well be the fact that her summoning awed everyone so much that even her barbaric Germanian arch-nemesis' breasts shrank down to a flat board. If only it were possible to harness all that power _just_ to do that.

But really, she hoped her summoning would bring out the ultimate proof that she is indeed NOT a Zero at the beginning.

"Well, if it isn't Louise the Zero." Damn that harlot and her flapping chest fat. "Getting ready for the summoning ritual, I see. As you can tell, mine went splendidly well."

The sickening sweet voice of seduction that is Kirche Augusta Frederica von Anhalt-Zerbst grated on her nerves the more she spoke to her. It didn't help her mind that next to the Germanian fire mage was in fact a red salamander with a ball of fire at the end of its tail. As much as she hated to admit it, the filthy barbarian's familiar did look like it would garner admirers without effort, not nearly close as Tabitha's dragon though. The thought of it did put her mind at some ease, but it wasn't fully extinguished since 'The Ardent' was clearly not done mocking her just yet.

_Remember, Louise, Rule of Steel. Let nothing impede you. _

"I am very curious of what your summoning will end up, Louise." The dark skinned red head mentioned in teasing tone. "I wonder if it will be a bigger explosion than usual."

_Rule of steel! _

"Hmph! I will not be defeated by the likes of you, Von Zerbst! For today is the day I will summon forth a familiar that will not only trump yours, but will grant the well-deserved respect that I have lacked for all those years of mockery! Soon, there will be no zero but a noble mage that I am myself to be."

Kirche laughed at her grand speech, "Hohohoho~, such a big talk from someone so small! Do yourself a favor, Louise, and give up while you still can. There is no point in humiliating yourself any further because of where you stand."

_Rule of Steel! _

"Besides, you can never satisfy an audience with just explosions! I, Kirche the Ardent, will always be the greatest appeal than you." She prop her ample chest up for her to see. "For you are, and will always be, the flattest of them all."

Louise, ever being so temperamental, clenched her teeth in the deepest rage growing ever so steadily as she watched the fire mage rejoin her friend to watch the event. There were days when Louise wanted to curl up in a ball and cry her eyes out because of her failures, and then there were also days when she wanted to curse that blasted harlot all the way to oblivion for pushing the most sensitive topic down her throat. This is one of the latter.

_RULE OF STEEL! _

* * *

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T HAVE ANY CROWBARS!?" I shouted in pure outrage. Standing there before me, Owl's expression did not change at the slightest movement as if it was another day for him. In the most bored/annoyed tone he could muster, this is what he has to say.

"Does it look like I run a tool shop? If you want tools, go find them elsewhere. I sell necessary supplies to stalkers, not construction workers. Now are you going buy something or stand there like an idiot?"

"You're lucky I even bothered buying from you." I grumbled.

"You're lucky I even tolerate customers _like_ _you_ without shooting them." He shot back without missing a beat.

Well, he got me there. Still, the rat bastard always charge ammunition prices like crazy. At least guns are cheaper now that the military decided to take five and go back to watching TV inside their guard posts, until something goes wrong.

A few more seconds of glowering happening between us made me wish for bubblegum. I'm not going to ask if he sells those because of the obvious and since Beard doesn't stock candy; the same goes for every stalker I pass by other than a pack of smokes. I heard playing guitars helps pass the time, but I don't know how to do that. What about a harmonica? They're easy to learn, just have to blow some air in the holes and make some music. There is also the need for more mags and 5.45x39mm bullets since I am going to stop by Cardan's workshop to pick up my AC-96/2 next before heading to Nimble's 'office'.

"Are you done staring off like a statue yet?" Owl droned and flipped another page from an unspecified magazine while I was in the middle of my silent monologue.

I really have to stop doing that.

"3 boxes (60 bullets per box) of 5.45x39, 3 empty mags for an AC-96 and a harmonica…" Am I forgetting something? "…Oh! And get me two sets of radioprotectants along with a GP-25 launcher, five VOG-25s, and a PSU-1 scope."

Even though he casted a raised brow at the harmonica part, Owl just kept quiet and went for his shelves to check the inventory. Not a minute sooner, he placed all of what I asked for on the counter and totaled up the prices before his nasally depressing voice perturbed my ears once more.

"12,340 RUs," The trench coat shopkeeper went back to reading, not giving a damn to watch. He wouldn't have to worry since stalkers here don't take kindly to shoplifters.

A small stack of bills was slapped down and I waited for him to count the amount before leaving. As expected, he took the notes and counted them briefly then waved me off which meant "Take your shit and leave me alone."

"Don't let the door hit you." He sounded off his usual chime as I walked out the door with my purchases in hand. After I packed the bullets and whatnots into the bag, I rolled my eyes as his next customer came in which happens to be a skinny bandit who 'accidently' bumps into me without any apologies.

What a nice guy.

Onward to Cardan then.

Making my way on the right, I could see Cardan is being… himself, again. Just without the drinking. Somehow, he went sober after someone persuaded him otherwise. His prices for repairs are a quarter cut than what he would usually charge, but mine is still cheaper. Modding is still his forté, which I lacked. Right now, it seems like he is in the middle of repairing someone's gun. I should take advantage of this.

"Hey, dude!" I exclaimed in a rather bogus surfer voice, "I totally, like, broke my shooter and shit so I'm going to need you to fix it."

His head shot up with an annoyed scowl on his face until he saw me chuckling and pointing my finger at him. Cardan shook his head with a huff and returned back to his work. He thumbed at a gun leaning against the wall next to him. "Your rifle is ready, boy. I already installed the upgrades for durability, recoil, and fire rate. Take good care of it, alright?"

"Yes, _dad_." I went over to pick it up, noting his self-mumbling once I said my thanks.

Last stop is Nimble's delivery office before I take care of my own business for tomorrow and get some shut-eye. At least I get to add another artifact to my collection. After all, I only need a Jellyfish, Flame, Night Star, Eye, Snowflake, Sparkler, Flash, Soul, Compass, Kolobok, and a Goldfish if I hadn't let that rookie take it; too bad someone already found the Heart of Oasis. Smuggling them out will be a hassle if I don't come up with a large sum to pay.

Hey, maybe Nimble might help me. He did say about having connections. Would one of them help me smuggle a crate of illegal artifacts and military equipment? I hope so. I want to have my own secret display of good shit underneath my crappy looking house so no one would be the wiser.

"Howdy-ho!" Ugh, why does everyone say that? We're not cowboys. "I see you've come for your package, am I right?"

"Howdy-" FUCK! "I mean, hey Nimble. Yeah, I got the cash. Let's see what you got." I rubbed the back of my head, giving a brief yawn. "So, what is it?"

Nimble tapped a small wooden crate that he has been using as a foot rest. "This, my friend, is the armor I've been talking about. It's been through toils of combat and is the ultimate protection for shootouts and anomalies. Fully repaired and upgraded by its previous owner, this suit will benefit you greatly on the long run."

I held on to the money when he stretched his hand out for it. "Can't I at least see it first before I pay you? It's only fair since I don't know what I'm getting."

"Oh, right. Sure, no problem buddy. But remember, if you don't take it, the next purchase will add up more money; a fair warning for all buying clients."

He got up from his seat and produced a- HOLY SHIT, is that what I think it is?

It is!

The arms dealer wedged the slanted end of the crowbar in between and pried the lid off with a mighty wrench. Once he has finished doing that, he kicked the lid off and allowed me to see what's inside.

. . .

. . .

. . .

"Well, what do you think?" He asked.

. . .

. . .

"What exactly am I looking at?"

Nimble held up a folded suit with a olive gray tactical Kevlar vest that look it has been padded with extra plates, modified with a chest rig intended to hold mags, and looped with a pouch belt at the bottom meant to hold artifacts, from my assumption. The shirt itself was a sky blue and white camouflage with unfamiliar shoulder patches on both sides that resembled a shield with two white birds flying up from opposite directions behind a rising sun, below it came a strewn ribbon that clearly reads-

"Clear Sky." Whatever air was left in my lungs were already out as soon as I read those words. I have never heard of an organization called that, let alone, a smart watch, but they sound just right. Clear Sky. An omen I believed in, a good omen. Calm before the emission comes. But what does this mean? Was this a coincidence? Does Duty or Freedom know of these people?

Does anyone else know of them or where they came from?

"Heh-hehe-heh…"

. . .

In front of me, Nimble let out a nervous laugh as he saw me stare intently at the crest. His throat clearing manage to snap me out of my trance as I gaze up at him. For a moment, he seemed tense as if he was hiding something. I grabbed him by the shoulders and looked him in the eye as my voice continued to remain hoarse.

"It's perfeeeeeect!" The words wheezed through my mouth as I could barely contain my excitement. Letting him go, I shoved the money in his hand and went for the loot. Damn, it has Kevlar layers around the arms and legs, metal kneepads, dark pants of whatever blackish color, tactical gloves, and even a pair of hiking boots! My old ones were starting to wear out. How considerate of him.

What's this, some kind of old steel helmet of the sort? I see it comes with a pair of large goggles and a gas mask. Good, now I won't have to smell the gas anomalies every time I pop a pill.

"Uh, uhhh," I didn't notice the odd look Nimble was giving me, nor did was I really paying attention to his loss of words but it sounded like he was having a moment of relief.

"So, um, how do you like it?" He gestured at the armored uniform. "I got it off a merc who found something better to wear so he sold it to me. Everything on it is modified with extra protection from pistol to medium rifle rounds, ruptures, impacts, explosions… nearly everything that will last! It provides all minimal anomaly protection so you won't have to worry about wading through unprepared, container slots large enough to hold three artifacts, and it also has 1st generation night vision integrated in the goggles. Pretty slick, if I say so."

Huh, what about night vision?

"I thought First Generation night vision is shit." I replied.

"Don't worry; it's an updated version." Nimble reassured. "Clearer like the current Second Generation, but darker as well; think of it as a past improvement."

I didn't know you could even modify an existing model.

"So what is this suit called?" I inquired Nimble about the product. From my perspective it seems to be an antique version of those merc suits, but specialized for Zone activities. Was Clear Sky some kind of para-military like the mercenaries?

"CS-1a model; very light and sturdy for special operations. I know the steel helmet may not help you much, but at least the gas mask can be fitted inside. Plus, you even have a hood." He pointed it out. Indeed, it does.

At least I feel protected now.

"You want to order anything else?" He asked me while I put everything away in the box.

"Yes, there is. Can I buy that crowbar from you?"

. . .

"Sure… 300 RU."

"Deal!"

* * *

"Is that everyone?" Colbert glanced around to see if anyone else was left until he spotted the last student coming up with a prideful stride. "Ah, Miss Valliére, you're the last to go so best of luck to you."

"Unless it blows up in her face like the rest of her spells!" Someone called out in the crowd, causing a fit of stifled laughter amongst their peers.

"Now, settle down students." He ordered them to keep it quiet and then turned to Louise. "Miss Valliére, you may begin when you are ready."

This was her chance to prove her potential! Louise nodded and concentrates her focus on the summoning rite while anyone nearby backed away farther; some readied themselves to make a run for it when the time comes. Kirche still had that smug grin on her face and Tabitha was… being herself as always. Everyone anticipated the obvious fact that it will end up in another explosive failure. But for her, she thought otherwise.

"My name is Louise Françoise Le Blancde La Valliére. Pentagon of the five elemental powers, heed my summoning…" The strawberry-blonde girl begins her incantation.

"This is going to be good." Kirche whispered next to her friend, while the quiet Gallian kept her eyes on the opened book. Others were muttering to one another on how this spell will go to the point of even betting whether it would end up as another explosion or not.

"…grant forth my servant that is of this vast universe…"

Professor Colbert frowned slightly at the altered verse of the summoning rite, but said nothing as he continued to watch his student finish the ritual. Perhaps these few changes might be interesting to watch.

"…my divine, beautiful, wise, powerful servant that shall heed my call…"

"Hey Louise, you're doing it wrong!" Malicorne called out abruptly. She ignored or was too focused to pay any attention toward any outside disturbance and was near the finale of the ritual.

"…bring forth this creature and let it be bind as my familiar that shall need my guidance!" At last the finishing verse was done and Louise waved her wand dramatically, expecting her familiar's grand appearance to take place at an instant. A couple seconds went by and nothing happened as the time continues to pass silently. No explosions, much to her small relief, but it didn't seem like the summoning had done its job as she expected it to be; quite literally, nothing at all.

_How could this be!? _

Tears of shame threatened to leak from her eyes as she hung her head low and awaited the taunts from her tormenters. A few students got the hint and were now pointing fingers at her misfortunes as they jeered her mocking title again and gain.

"I always knew she was always a Zero!" One of the few commented aloud.

"Once a zero, always a Zero!"

"At least nothing exploded this time…"

_How am I going to explain to mother of my expulsion? _

"Hey, what is that blue ball floating in the air?" Louise's head shot up at the mentioning and veered her head toward the strange phenomenon taking the sport of where she pointed her wand to.

Colbert's eyes stared at the small shimmering orb before him, mesmerized by its erratic patterns of colors that changes every passing second. Everyone was amazed by its pretty mixture that it even garnered the attention of the usually stoic Tabitha, who could only raise her eyebrows in surprise.

"It's so beautiful," Montmorency was dazzled at the mysterious wonder.

"Just like you…" Her fiancée, Guiche, added, was also fascinated by its glamorous glow.

Everyone was so entranced with the floating ball of light that they temporarily forgotten about Louise or even registered her presence when she waved her hand in front of them.

"I don't understand, just what _is_ it?" She questioned its unknown origin and was about to get closer when it instantly turned into a full of shade of red and started growing bigger. The mages, struck off by its sudden violent impulse, had soon forgotten the orb's beauty and began to back away while keeping a constant watch at its changes when thunderous noises erupted and streaks of lightning can be seen sparking from the volatile object.

Even when it stopped growing, the surface rippled and ruptured as if some part of it was about to break off. The crackling still did not stop as the students were beginning to panic at the possible danger it could pose to them when the ground started rumbling.

"By Brimir! This is the end of us as we know it!" A student cried and ran off to the nearest cover.

"Oh God, it's going to explode! The orb is going to _explode_!"

"This is all your fault, Louise!" The pudgy blond kid shouted, tripping over a first year attempting to get inside the building.

Louise could only stare helplessly at the shifting ball that pulsated at a rapid pace and shut her eyes for the inevitable to come. This was her fate, she supposed. To perish underneath the anomaly threatening to envelope her form and wipe out every form of existence that she held inside.

Unbeknownst to her, at the very last moment before her untimely demise, the orb shrunk down all the way to the size of a fruit and was still. Everything around her was still at that point: the tears running her cheeks, the frozen expressions of terror from her classmates, Professor Colbert hopelessly covering himself with only his arms and the staff in his hand for protection.

It seemed like she had really done it bad this time.

What felt like eternity soon resumed back into reality when the red orb imploded itself, sending forth a shockwave like no other. The grass was blown back while students and teacher alike were flung in the air before landing roughly on the ground. As for Louise, being the nearest of the source, only felt a soft push and landed on her bottom, strangely enough.

When the horrible shrieking finally stopped, Louise thought to herself that she died quickly until she realized everything on her body felt fine. In fact, she felt as if a small gust of wind blew over her and that was it. Slowly, she opened her eyes and could only see a shadowy figure covered behind the cloud of smoke created from her handy work. It was tall and held a sinister shape that left her with a brief sense of chills when it got closer. She could hear its ragged breathing and wanted to squirm away in fear that whatever she summoned might inflict harm upon anyone it sees, but chose to stand up and face it despite her mind screaming to run away while there is still a chance. Of course, she could not allow cowardice on her part. Why should the master be afraid of a familiar she had just summoned?

When some of the cloud finally cleared, Louise peered at the figure looming over her and paled at what she saw that made her resume back to being frightened again. A single black panel on what looks to be its eyes(?) held her reflection as the oddly clothed, if she could call them as such, creature stood there in a daze, clutching the side of its head while eliciting a loud groan. Louise kept staring, not believing her eyes at what she had brought forth and continued to examine this strange being that can stand on two legs, yet it looked really hideous. She held her breath when the thing turned its attention to her and also stared with a slight tilt by its head as if it too was trying to figure out what she is. The two held it for a while and said nothing to each other, observing each other like a specimen behind a steel cage whilst most of the smoke were now gone and three more figures appear near her. She paid no mind to them, only wanting to make sense of what she was seeing.

Maybe she summoned some kind of humanoid insect, which sort of explains the odd mouthpiece it was sporting. But if it is really an insect, where are the extra appendages or the feelers? She only saw four limbs and a head… unless it's wearing some kind of chitin armor with pockets that is hiding the other arms. Some of the extra bits on it look to be straps of some kind with an oddly shaped metal tool hanging on the right hip. The white and blue pattern on its arms might indicate a new species. The metallic objects sticking out of the front pockets eludes her.

"Uhh…." Is it trying to communicate with her? "Khto ty? De ya?"

"Huh?" She gaped at the odd use of words it was speaking. "What did you say?"

. . .

"Chomu vy hovoryte po -frantsuzʹky?" The insect man, based on how deep his voice was, spoke more nonsense that sounded like a question. "Chy ye tse Paryzh?"

Great, he doesn't understand the Tristanian language. A translation spell will be needed before the man-bug can properly address the mage and see to his master's needs. Perhaps she can-

"Shcho tse, chort vizʹmy!?" A shrill, reedy voice holding the same dialect screeched out, causing Louise and anyone that had not been knocked out by the strong wave to cringe. "DE TUT?"

The foul stench of burnt tar reached her nose and she gagged at the strong smell plaguing the air as the young girl backed away from the likely source dressed in a black hooded coat attire that screamed ' filthy commoner'. A cloth mask revealing his green eyes and stubble mouth showed some form of confusion and panic when he first saw her hair and pointed at it.

"Khto vona? Chomu yiyi volossya v rozhevyy kolir?" The smelly commoner babbled in the same language, probably directed at the bug-man.

The armored man shrugged and shook his head.

"Hitobito wa, anata daredesuka?" And it seems like there is another one! Why couldn't she catch a break? Louise whipped her head around to see two other individuals having a conversation with each other. One of them was dressed similarly like the first one but is colored with a darker shade of blue than its counterpart, plus it was missing the dome on its head. The other person was also like the commoner judging from his apparel, but is younger than the rest of them with his blue eyes and black hair. Judging from the appearance of the three figures, excluding the boy, they are likely human and men from some unknown barbarian country she probably never heard of. Perhaps they came from Germania?

"Koko de okonatte Nihon no shōnen wa nanidesu ka?" The helmetless man spoke to him just as fluently that it surprised the younger commoner, who spoke back excitingly in rapid succession.

"Anata wa watashi no gengo o hanasu koto ga dekiru?" The boy's panicked expression eased when the fellow nodded.

"Hai, soshite yori ōku no." He pointed at Louise. "Chōdo kanojo ga sukidesu."

Just what are they talking about? And why is this lowly commoner pointing so rudely at her? Does he not know that he is in the presence of a noble?

Louise noticed the first man she was talking to was now off collecting objects strewn around the area, muttering to himself more incoherent gibberish as he picked up a large pack that could hold an abundance of items inside and wore it on his back. Two objects were strapped on both sides with the left one almost resembling a musket rifle. She then watched him pick up a black metal rifle that had some parts sticking out of which she could not describe and even ignored her when she asked about it. After a while, her mood began to turn sour when she heard the barbed calls from the students behind her back and bundled her hands into fists.

"Who would have thought Louise the Zero could summon commoners," One jeered loudly, "especially a bunch of horribly dressed commoners who can't even speak properly!"

Kirche, despite having been blown away from the strong blast just recently, added her own taunt in the mix, "Leave it to a Zero to summon more Zeroes!"

The hooded commoner was rather confused at the sudden turn of event and sat down against a large metal box to ponder on the given situation he was in. The bug-man was too busy gathering his things and stacking them in one spot to pay any attention on what is going on, whiles the boy and the other bug-man stood there silently to watch the whole scenario play it out.

"Miss Valliére, you must finish the ritual." Professor Colbert leaned shakily against his staff when he experienced the worse bashing of his life and slowly hobbled over to get a better look at the four minding themselves. "Hm… interesting…"

"But which one do I choose?" Louise felt pressured as she watched them attend to their business. "How do I tell which one is my true familiar?"

This made him pause at the given question, prompting him to glance around at them for a moment before turning to his student with a straight face. "All of them are your familiars."

"What!? But how is that possible?" She exclaimed.

"I am not too sure myself, but since you have summoned all four of them in one casting, the only reasonable conclusion is this." Colbert explained carefully. "So in order to finish the summoning ritual, you must bind all four as your familiars."

The girl glanced nervously at them and hesitantly nodded before she called for their attention.

"All of you commoners come to me!" She announced loudly for them to hear and raised her wand up in the air.

* * *

"What is she saying this time?" Hiraga Saito quietly asked the gas masked mercenary next to him.

"She wants all of us to come toward her." The man held his hands behind his back and shouted at the other two stalkers nearby. "You two, get over here. The girl wants us to gather around."

"What? Why? I don't know her." I called over my shoulder and placed the last book on the pile. "I don't even know where we are, let alone, any of these weird people."

"That girl, she reminds me of my daughter…" Shishak mentioned to himself. "…probably the same age too. Yes, possibly, minus the pink hair dye and contact lenses."

"I don't think these people even know what those are. I mean, look at them. If this is some kind of freaky-shit cult Harry Potter school, then that would probably explain the castle." I noted the assorted amount of ridiculous hair color amongst the crowd of kids and some of the freaky looking animals amongst the normal house pet ones. "Also, get off my supply crate asshole."

"Give me the artifacts then." He replied smugly.

"When Fleshes fly, prick." I shot back.

"Both of you shut up and walk your asses over here!" Oh, seems like the merc is getting annoyed. I wouldn't want to keep him waiting unless I want a bullet in the head.

"Alright, fine! Jeez!" I threw my hands up and went toward him. "But this better not involve drenching ourselves in blood and shoving a stick up our asses!"

If I could see his eyes, I bet you he'd be rolling them at my stupid comment. Good, let him think I'm an idiot so he doesn't get the chance to kill me in my sleep when that comes. I can't trust the mercenaries and bandits when they're close to me and within firing distance. I can't trust nobody in the Zone at all!

. . .

Huh, maybe that's why I don't have any friends…

"Are your friends like this all the time?" The boy gestured toward me and the Shishak. "It seems like the one in the white and blue suit has a few screws loose in his head."

"They are not my 'friends'. I was hired to take one of them out and capture the other." He responded in a formal manner. "And don't worry about him, he is harmless… sometimes."

"Oh, so you are an assassin, Merc-san?"

"No no, just a mercenary. An assassin would take pride in their jobs, while a merc does it because it is a job to do." The merc pointed to himself. "Like me, I do it just for the money. No questions asked. No loyalty held but to yourself."

Pfft, yeah keep talking in that moon language. They're probably talking shit about me. Hell, I bet he can speak more languages than we know and put in subtle insults every time he feels like it. Bah, I'll just do what he says for now and get this over with.

"I suppose it is better than doing nothing," Shishak agreed, got up, and followed me from behind, much to my chagrin.

As much as I feel a slight discomfort of letting that rat out of my sights, I'm willing to weigh more on needs than wants just to understand what the hell is going on. Or was that the other way around? Meh, no time to think about it now, let see what this girl wants from us.

As we all gathered to one spot, the pink haired girl (god, she looks like the bossy type) strides over toward us four and starts talking in her French speak once again. I don't understand what the hell she was talking about and I still don't understand her now when she pointed at her head then to ours. What, does she want us to take off our helmets or something?

"She wants us to take off the helmet and masks," the merc said to us via translation and started to unstrap his gas mask.

Oh.

. . .

Hey, wait a minute… why does she _want_ us to take off our masks? Something's wrong and I don't like where this heading to. Is she going to splash acid in my eyes? I hope not. That shit burns.

The boy doesn't need to remove anything on his face since, well, he wasn't wearing anything on his face or head to begin with. I know that's really obvious. Good kid. Out of place in this area, but so are we. I wonder if he has heard of the Zone.

Shishak removed his ski-mask and revealed a rather charming face much to my surprise. I always assume he was ugly underneath the mask, but goddamn look at that angular chin! And his eyes! He looks like a blond pretty boy, holy shit. He could get a lot of chicks if he didn't smoke so much and steal other people's shit including me.

The mercenary took his gas mask off and showed a square mullet build with his cheeks and nose being okay. He's not half bad, but those hard blue eyes give me the creeps when I looked at them. His expression is kind of stone faced, but he could probably beat someone to death with that look he seems to bore. I don't see much about his hair besides a few tufts sticking out of his balaclava, so it looks like he got some jet black on his head.

As for me, yeah, good luck with that. I ain't removing my helmet. You want my face? Here's half of it. You don't like it? Well too fucking bad for you.

"Thank god for fitted gas masks." I felt around for a release strap after lifting the helmet a little and unlatched it. With that out of the way, only half of my face was exposed to the world that I did not know of. I admit, five o' clock shadows are rugged and cool, but they can be a bitch to clean out sometimes. If I have the time, I might have to shave it off so I can eat bread without the crumbs getting stuck on my chin.

The look on that girl's face means she wasn't amused by my smart moves. Oh, sorry there. No acids in my eyes this time.

"Why not take the entire helmet off?" The bandit seems to find it funny. See, I'm not the only one with a sense of humor.

Wait, did I just agree with him? No wait, never mind…

There she goes again, speaking in that language as if I can totally comprehend everything she is saying. She looks crossed at me. Mhm, yes, she definitely looks crossed with me. But it's so cute when she looks like that. I'm not so sure about the pink eyes, though. It's really… unnatural, but at the same time who am I to complain? She looks just dainty with them.

"Je vous ordonne de prendre votre casque!" She barked in that adorable voice as if she was telling me what to do.

"She wants you to remove the helmet." Jacque the merc (Not really his name, but I at least need to call him something until then) said to me.

"Hahaha, NO." I gave her a shit eating grin and shook my head. "I don't take orders from you, little miss pinky."

"Ce est un ordre, roturière!" Aww, her cheeks are puffing. Where's my camera? This would go well with my collection of 'People who are pissed off at me'.

"Nope." My head shook again. Meanwhile, the crowd of school kids behind her has started to laugh at her incompetence. Like I said, I don't know what they're saying but it must be pretty hilarious for them. The short book girl with the glasses doesn't seem to be joining in, though. Eh, good for her.

Suddenly, the girl whipped out a wooden stick that might as well reinforce my claims that this world is definitely a parody of Harry Potter. All I could do was laugh at her threat while the others looked at me like I was crazy.

"Oh, good _lord_, this is rich!" I cackled at her attempt to intimidate me. "This is just fucking _rich_! Look at this thing, guys! It's _a_ _wand_!"

The Japanese boy leaned over to the merc and muttered more of his moon-speak at him, to which the man nodded after he was done and Shishak just stood there like it was another day in the Zone.

For me, however, I was too busy enjoying myself by making fun of the girl who was so pissed at me that I swear her face couldn't get any more redder than the busty redhead watching the scene with her rambunctious laugh.

"Aww, is the wittle girl mad? Does she want a wollipop? Does she now? Oh, does she no- UCK!" Did she just kick me in the balls? Looking down, I did notice that she had _indeed_ kicked me right in the cash and prizes. Shit, she kicked like a horse!

"Urrrgh, fuuuuuuuuuuuck!" I could only hold whatever was left of my dignity and take it standing while bent over. The urge to scream more profanities was tempting, but I rather laugh it off then make her look good in the light of day. Boy in the white and blue zip-up jacket winced in sympathy while the other two continued to stare at me as if I was being a mental moron.

"Is th-that the best you got, girly?" My mouth now turned into a smirk and it looks like she is about to hit me again until someone else's voice cut in sharply.

Oh look, it's a balding wizard with his long wooden staff and his tiny wire-frame glasses. From the looks of it, he seems intent on finishing whatever the hell we were actually doing in the first place since nobody told us in the beginning. Despite the reluctance of being stopped before she could do anymore harm to me, she decided that I would be dealt with later and went back to business.

And when I meant business, I mean moving away from me, stopping a hair away from the blushing boy and planting her lips into his.

. . .

Okay… that's not weird at all. It could be a French thing, I don't know. Do all French kiss each other in the mouth as a greeting? If so, then I want a hot French girl to play tongue twister with me. Now she's gesturing the other two to bend down a little and- I don't like where this is going… oh god, she's frenching them as well.

And now I'm next.

. . .

"Hey, listen girly, I know you're desperate to find love and all that bullshit, but don't you think this is going a little too fa-URP!" Her lips are so soft… Ngh, I call adult molestation! This is so wrong on so many levels of wrongness that even she's grimacing at the taste of what I had for dinner today. Hah, serves her right for trying to reverse molests me when I refused!

Hey, what's that burning feeling on my left hand? Feels like something is being bran- OH FUCK, IT HURTS LIKE SHIT! FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK!

"Urgh… what the hell!"

"Ow, ow, ow! These feels are hurting me!"

"Argh, my hand!"

"SON OF A BITCH!" Was all I wanted to yell at the sharp pain of sizzling heat pressing down on what probably might be left of my drinking hand if I don't have it amputated by the end of the day.

"Stop complaining, it will pass soon." Pinky finally spoke a shred of something that I can understand while I waited impatiently for the sensation to stop.

. . .

Did she just spoke Ukrainian? I thought this was Paris.

* * *

_A/N: If you are offended by the use of derogatory terminology, then take in mind that this is a story and what I put is not meant to be taken seriously. Have a good laugh and please give critiques. Thank you. _


	2. Chapter 2: The Master of Stalkers

A/N:_ Another chapter of Pavlo and friends disagreeing with their so-called 'master' and still trying to figure out what the hell is going on. _

_I would like to thank the reviewers for their positive feedback, but I've yet to see any criticism for now. If so, then please explain your thoughts in a simple form for me to understand so that I will do what I can to fix the problem._

_I hold no rights to The Familiar of Zero and STALKER materials, along with other added contents except for OCs and minor deviation of plots._

Review Responses:

_**Kaioo:**_ They're killers, excluding Saito, but they are not psychotic killers. Further into the story, their assorted views will definitely clash with the local's on morals and beliefs.

_**Panzer-12:**_ I'll throw in a mixture of both, with the protagonist stalkers trying to figure out how to make their ammunitions and improvised weapons and how the story progresses. Nothing to major in the early beginning, but more weapons will be added; some that are not in the Stalkerverse, but will have their names modified to fit the feel of it.

_**GrimKid98:**_ An emission is coming, fellow stalker!

_**Yeza Nairomof:**_ It'll get more interesting after you fastened your seatbelts for a whole bunch of clusterfucks later on. Count on it.

_**Minh:**_ Cheeki Breeki, bro. **Cheeki. Breeki**.

* * *

Chapter 2

**The Master of Stalkers**

* * *

_Last hour before unforeseen departure…_

"Alright, time to try out my new duds and see if they fit me!" The curtain acting as my door was closed shut behind me and I placed the box on the operating bed. There I begin to take off the leather suit and start putting on the real-deal that I spent on just to get that feel.

Ever since the whole incident involving our previous medic playing vampire and that someone took care of it when he was found out, I decided to call dibs on his room. Having to occupy the late Tremor's medical room, I decided to take it as my sleeping quarter since no one else would go for it in fear of finding out whatever fucked up things he had done beside the whole blood drinking fiasco. Frankly, it just gives me the perfect space since no one will ever go near it unless emergency calls.

It would be pretty annoying if the people here mistook me for a doctor. I can't imagine how much of them barging in and yelling "Help, help, I need a medic!" before they realized I can't do jackshit with their patient other than passing them a medkit and have them figure it out what the hell they should do.

Anyway, I wonder how I look in this thing. I got the pants on, the shirt and tactical vest secured, and then the gas mask and helmet tightly snugged in. I wish Tremor put a mirror in this room before someone killed him. If the man wanted to be the terror of the night, he could at least have the decency to hang a mirror just to pretend he's Edward Cullen. The freak probably likes the sparkling effects. Who knows? I haven't found any glitter around so far.

You know what? Screw it; I'll just use my knife as an improvised mirror just to see how badass I look in this get up. If what Nimble said is true, this baby can stop pistol and assault rifle rounds without any heavy damage to the suit. Sure, it's not as fully protective like those Skat-9m suits or the earlier model, but it beats having no Kevlar at all.

Sometimes, I would imagine myself as a swat officer with a battering ram breaking a door open while the rest of my swat buddies would charge in and get shit done. Actually, before I even entered the Zone, I _wanted_ to be Berkut in the beginning. Sadly, they shut down the organization because of police brutality and them being dicks to the people. If I had joined earlier, I would have kept my skills and breezed through the Red Forest to Pripyat in no time. Or maybe not, with the locals being crazy and shit over there.

Oh well, it's not like I was missing out on anything while I was here. Who knew firing your first gun was exciting? At a bandit who was holding a better gun, no doubt.

"Get on the ground, bitches!" I did a little pose and pretended my left hand is a gun, complete with cheesy sound effects. "Pew pew pew!"

Alright, enough fooling around for me, I got to do some chores before I get some Z's. Don't want to get out in the early morning without any bullets in the mags, eh?

With the knife sheathed, the backpack unzipped next to the operating bed, and the small crate placed elsewhere on the floor, I went to work on replenishing mags with fresh bullets. Putting thirty rounds in each mag was no feat of work, but it was time consuming nonetheless. Even then, I like doing work on my own time alone because it helps me think when I'm focused on a certain task. Things like future planning or what I want to do other than stalking is usually the main topic in my mind, like smoking blunts with the Freedomers or playing checkers by myself back in Yanov.

Sometimes I would have pleasant chats with Hawaiian and ask him why he never wears Aloha shirts if he is trying to make everything fun. Other times, but rarely, I'd end up spying on the bandits at the Container Warehouse to see if there were any changes beside Shishak ranting about how Jack is a retard and playing checkers with his buddies. In Yanov, the fun is always there at the station. Once you step out, though, it tends to turn into a clusterfuck of things trying to kill you and constant firefights.

But in Zaton, the fun never ends for me here. Artifacts are plenty in every emission storms, bandits under Sultan's rule are polite every time they want to rob and/or kill you for your stuff, and the wildlife in this barren wet jungle keeps you on your toes just enough to last a little longer. The swamplands here is almost like the Cordon, if you can tolerate the very same people who were trying to shake you down for loot outside not moments ago are now the ones acting as your drinking buddy that laugh at your crude jokes. I can't imagine myself getting close to any of them and having a pleasant conversation while giving them a pat on the back saying "Better luck next time, bro" much like the other stalkers around me. Life can be funny like that sometimes.

So, what should I do with the seven other mags that I've collected for today's run? Do I save the AK carbine for back-up or should I just take out all the bullets and hoard them for later uses? Hmm, now that I think about it, the hunting shotgun might come in handy if I need to use it to kill a boar or Flesh for food. Decisions, decisions…

. . .

Eh, just keep both of them. It would make sense to have a spare rifle just in case I'd end up with another broken shooter because of those goddamn boars. If there are many things that I hate about the Zone's residents other than bandits and mercenaries, number one are boars. Fuck them, fuck the military, and fuck the Monoliths. Those whack jobs are part of the reason why I never bothered going to Pripyat in the first place. Granted, I've never seen an actual Monolith psycho before, but I heard stuff about them that'll make even the most hardened stalkers shit bricks and reconsider another place to visit.

I once heard that they sit down around tall structures and swivel their heads in a continuous circle to communicate with their Zone god. Jeez, no wonder everyone thinks they are too far gone into crazy land. Zombies are the least of our concerns since we still have remnants of brainwashed freaks hanging around in the Zone. God forbid if they- Hey, I'm done with the mags.

Heh, guess monologues do pay off once in a while.

"What's next…?" I mumbled, looking around for anything to do since I don't feel quite tired yet.

Let see…

Mags are done. Check.

Suit is on. Check.

Supply crate holding all my necessary shit, locked and secured. Check

"ACHOO!"

"Gesundheit," was my reply.

. . .

". . ."

Wait, wh-

Something heavy landed on top of me before I had the chance to look up. My head banged against the floor as I tried to figure out who the hell is on me and how to knock out this son of a bitch. Getting up was hard since the person who is attacking me decided to sit his fat ass on my back while trying to pull my hands together. The sound of metal chains jingling near my head says it all as he took my Compact out of the holster and tosses it far away from me.

"Who the **fuck** are you!?" I tried to shout for help, but the unknown assailant slammed the side of my head in order to disorient me. Luckily, the lenses from the integrated gas mask didn't break, but goddamn the ringing inside my ears won't stop.

"Get off me, jackass!" Another attempt to get him off me proved fruitless, but not entirely useless when I managed to grip one of his hands and pressed my thumb against the nerve sensitive spot underneath where his thumbs are. I didn't think it would work, but it got the job done when he tried to pull it away which left him vulnerable for me to jerk his arm on one side and cause his entire body to roll. That douchebag landing on my sore form again did not do me wonders as I managed to roll on the side and got up standing so I could fight back properly, along with getting the identity of my attacker. The familiar sight of his dark blue BDU and gas mask left me slightly baffled when he quickly got up and went into a combat stance.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me!" My voice went shrill before pulling out the knife.

Oh shit, a merc!? What the hell is a merc doing here?

The mercenary in question was checking me out to see if there were any empty gaps for him to charge in and take me out, but I was ready this time. No way is that fucker going to get the upper hand over me again. The bastard may have tossed my pistol away, but I still have three more guns right behind me (even though they were already empty to begin with)!

Speaking of guns, why did he ditch the pistol if he could've used it to threaten or kill me? Maybe he doesn't have a silencer and a loud gunshot within earshot of every stalker will bring unnecessary attention.

Attention that I urgently needed right now by attempting to run out the door screaming bloody murder at the start before he took out a taser, fired two darts at the base of my neck, and shocked my ass into a twitchy oblivion of pain and suffering. Only the muffled scream of choked pain came uttering out of my throat as the voltage continued to course through my body.

"FUuuuuuUUuuuuUUUUUuuu-!"

Unfortunately, like all maneuverable combat suits, the empty gap around the neck is how people with good marksmanship can get an instant kill easily without having to aim for the head or waste more bullets into a larger mass like the chest. Mercenaries, like the one still tazing me, are known for their high kill ratios because they always aim for the weak spot. How else do foreign professional killers get the job done efficiently?

It seems like this one was hired to take me alive, strangely enough for the first time. Since when do mercs get paid to start abducting stray stalkers now?

The dark-cladded hired gun stepped forward with a pair of handcuffs and was about to placed them on me if not for the sudden interruption of two figures slipping through the curtain door quickly before anyone outside would notice. Cardan normally sits at the end of the hallway where his workshop is at so it should be very hard for anyone to come through the middeck unnoticed unless he is either drunk or too distracted to pay any attention, and Owl's store is literally right next to the medical bay! The former would be likely so since he did quit drinking a long time ago, plus the influx of newbies coming may have kept him busy for a while. The latter won't probably care how much noise I'll make since he'll just think I'm in some kind of frisky S&amp;M with someone or just minds his own business because it's not his problem to begin with. Fucking cash whore…

"Hello, Farmer." Oh great, now 'ranty mc rant rant' and his little sidekick are here to steal my artifacts. "I have come to steal your artifacts. Dwarf, get the merc! Our time is short."

Dwarf, being the brute asshole that he is, raised his Viper 5 and ordered the merc to drop what he was doing. A closer look at the SMG showed a silencer attached at the end of the barrel. Shishak pulled out a SIP-t M200 that was also silenced and stepped toward my currently sore body while he devilishly grinned at my fallen form.

"The merc did his work quite well over you, Farmer. Now then, onward to business…" A light chuckle escaped from his mouth when he noticed the cables running to the taser where the merc dropped it. After picking up the non-lethal device, he placed the barrel of his pistol underneath my chin. "Where are the artifacts that you have? I suggest you answer quickly. Time is money."

I scoffed at his piss-poor attempt in threatening me and calmly replied with, "At your mom's house."

The only response I got was a quick, spastic shock before being prompted with the same question again. Shit, why do tasers have to hurt so much?

"Where ARE the artifacts? I won't ask you again." Shishak looked over his shoulder toward where the door is at and turned to me with another smug grin. "I could do this all day, if time was on my side."

"I… told you…" I gave a small hiss, "It's… at… your… mom's… pla- AAaaaAaaAAAaaaaRRRGGGHHH!" The taser in his hand rapidly clicked every time he pressed down on the trigger.

"Wrong answer, Farmer." This time, his expression darkened as he nudge the barrel upward and drew his face closer to mine. "You have five seconds to tell me where they are before I shoot you dead. The last stalker I made a deal with at least had the decency to honor his side before I let him and the hostage walk away unharmed. You should know how fair I can be when it comes to my word."

"Yeah, because… kidnapping stalkers for ransom… worked _soooo_ well for you the last time." A brief shake to the head later left me dazed for a while as I moaned about the slight pain in my muscles from the shock.

"Five…" He counted off, not taking his eyes off me for any given seconds. The same can be said for Dwarf, who still had his weapon trained on the merc.

"Dude, I'm not telling you shit so go fuck of-AaaaRRRrrrrGGGgggHHHHhhh!"

"Four~" Yeah, you're real fucking funny there, asshole.

"If you kill me now, then you won't be able to find what you are looking for! Do you think I put everything all in one spo-AAAArrrRRgh! Shit!" The taser was finally used up when it stopped shocking my body. Honestly, who the hell would bring a taser into the Zone!? It's not like everyone can drop instantly after a few zaps.

"Hmph, battery is dead." Shishak frowned and tossed it over his shoulder. "No matter, I can improvise. Where was I… ahh, three."

"Two words: Fuck. You." Another heavy slam against the back of the helmet almost made me wish he'd shoot me already so I don't have to deal with headaches later on. Almost.

And why the hell is there duct tape all over the ceiling? Did the merc tape himself up there so that he can ambush me while I came in without looking up? Gosh, I never thought these people could get so creative nowadays…

"One." His trigger finger slowly tightened around the trigger.

"Hey, what the hell happen to 'Two'!?" I pointed out in complaint.

The bandit leader wagged his available index finger in front of my face, "Tsk tsk. You should be more worried about what happens right after _one_. So, any last words?"

. . .

Damn, he got me there.

"Alright… agh… fine, I'll tell you." My throat felt raw from the constant howling so I pointed my finger at the supply crate next to the front of the desk, to which he glanced. "The artifacts are in there. There is a lock combo for it, but I can open it for you."

The trench coater stood up with a satisfied smile and gestured at me to pick myself up to do it while his gun was still pointed at my direction. "Very good. Very, very good. You go do that. Remember, no funny business."

Unfortunately for him, I had something funny planned at the top of my head once I managed to get up via a few wobbling attempts for stabilization.

"Of c-course," I croaked with a hidden smirk behind the mask, "just let me- OH MY GOD, IT'S JACK!"

"**Where!?**" His head quickly snapped toward the doorway in panic and anger. Dwarf also followed along, not keeping his eyes on the merc and paid for the mistake by a sudden neck chop strike that knocked him out at an instant.

Hehe, suckers.

I batted the gun out of his hand and took his right arm into a standing lock, twisting it all the way to his backside while he screeched in pain.

Yessssss… that's right, squeal! Serves him right for the shock torture!

A small quick bash to the head against the wall made him unconscious so that I can deal with the hired bastard who tried to kidnap me, only to turn around and find him right in front of my face. This elicits a yelp of surprise from me when I felt an iron grip around my throat with his one hand while the other attempt to restrain my flailing arms. I retaliated with a frontal kick to the groin and pushed him off as he grunted in pain, clinging to his jewels. Seems like all those hardcore fighting, close quarter combat, martial arts crap he had been through didn't pay off for him if he still can't take a hit to the balls. For me, I'm just improvising to save my own life so style and pain tolerance practices means moot if you don't allow some part of your fear to take over.

While the merc is in the middle of recovering, I bent down and quickly snatched Shishak's pistol off the floor and aim the piece at him to show that I was done with this bullshit.

"Alright merc, hands up in the air!" I ordered, watching him carefully. "Don't even think about getting that shooter near your foot! Any fast moves and you'll get a bullet for your trouble!"

He complied silently, inching away from the Viper just so he can lower his chances of getting shot. Man, this guy is dangerously creepy for a paid gun. Normally, I would hear some words from the roving mercs inside the Wild Territory next to Rostok, but this guy might be the quiet type judging from how little the noises he made during our confrontation. I'd hate to be that somebody who crosses him or is on his priority target list much like right now.

The celebratory uproar of another successful artifact delivery can be heard outside my room, much to my disdain on how the sounds of loud scuffling that happened in here just a couple minutes ago manage to elude their hearing. I guess happy hours are very fun for a lot of people to not pay any notice to their surroundings. Drunken people are deafened people, anyway.

This pretty much explains how suspicious people such as Shishak and Dwarf could easily slip in without anyone batting an eyes worth of notice in the first place because they're already bandits. My mercenary 'friend', on the other hand, may have had to resort to real stealth since nobody likes them and their 'kill everyone but us' mentality. If they're so goddamn professional, they wouldn't need to resort to that at all if there were other alternatives to use.

"Alright, _buddy_, here's how we are going to do things. I ask you a question, you answer it. You answer wrong, I shoot you."

"And what happens if I answer all of your questions?" He spoke in a quiet tone.

Oh, so he finally says something. This should go well.

"Then we will see what happens next." My left hand pointed at the ceiling. "Did you duct tape yourself up there, knowing that I never look up?"

He gave a nod.

"Good, that's one thing out of the way. Second question: Who hired you?" I readied my finger around the trigger. "I would be careful with this one, if I were you."

"Jack."

Well, that was easy. Too easy, if you asked me, since the usual mercs never tell who hired them.

"Okay, we're making progress here. So, third and final question: How much is he paying and what does this have anything to do with me?" Coming from Jack, I wouldn't be surprised that he would be able to scrap up that much money to hire a professional.

"50,000 Rubles for your capture," the merc didn't even hesitate to tell me right away and then added, "10,000 extra to kill Shishak and his second in command as well."

"Damn…" I blanched at the high amount on my head. 50,000 RU just to take me in alive? Holy shit, that's a lot of dough the loan shark is offering. "…did he tell you why? Wait, you know what, never mind that. I think I know what he wants."

The smug fucker also wanted my artifacts that Shishak was after. Seriously, what the fuck, I probably shouldn't have told Beard about it. Words spread around too quickly in the Zone. If Jack got a hold of me, he'll do more than what I've been through now.

Shit… what a dilemma this is. If I give away the artifacts, all my work would have been for nothing. If I kill the guy now, then Jack will just hire more goons to come after me. I can't take out the source without some serious manpower, so that's out. Hurgh, this really isn't the best day I had in mind. Fucking bandits…

"What if… I pay you more than what Jack is offering? A counteroffer, yes, that's right. I can give you a much better deal if you agree to kill Jack for me." I hope he accepts stash locations…

He gave it some thought for a while, meaning I might have a chance to get away with it if he takes the deal. I don't care if he kills Shishak; the guy is on the verge of turning into a bigger problem if he decides to take the competition with Jack to a whole new level of banditry. If this goes in my favor, then I will be cutting off two heads of a Chimera.

Meanwhile, the trench coater who I knocked out was beginning to stir himself awake with a loud pain-induced groan. A swift back heel kick to the face made him quiet once more.

"Hey merc, while you're thinking, go cuff Dwarf's hands to something so we won't have to deal with any interruptions." The pistol in my hand flicked to the direction of the still unconscious bandit to indicate who I was referring to. "You're still my prisoner, so get to it."

He complied without any complaint and placed the handcuffs on the douchebag's hand to the middle post supporting the top bunk bed before walking back to where he was standing. I had a few run-ins with Dwarf back in the Jupiter area during my artifact hunting expedition. The asshole and his buddies would always fire potshots at my direction whenever his patrol spotted me. I guess he'd forgo his usual Chaser 13 for a gun that could actually HIT something at a rapid fire rate and be silenced. Either that or his boss made him use the Viper because of the silencer attachment. Holding Shishak's SIP-t M200, I wonder how they managed to get ahold of better weapons other than sawed offs and PMns. A lucky steal on enough stashes and ransom or is someone dealing hardware to them? Right now, that doesn't matter. I needed to settle this problem once and for all.

"The clock is ticking, merc. Have you made your decision yet?" I asked him.

He tilted his head and replied, "That would depend on what kind of offer you are making."

"Stash locations. Good ones that I know in Pripyat. I was planning on heading there to make my fortune, but I'm still concerned about the shit still going on inside the city." A.K.A, the ongoing activity of mercs and other major factions in the area still duking it out for territorial control, despite the military holding the CNPP and grabbing whatever artifacts they find.

"I need more than that." Damn, I was expecting him to say that.

"Alright, how about two valuable stash locations and two artifacts worth your while? A Shell and a Wrenched. Will that do?"

. . .

". . ."

C'mon, think about all the uses you would have for them! It's not just their value you should be concerned about. A Shell and Wrenched combination goes well for extra stamina!

After a brief moment of thinking, his small voice rose up a little more, "Give me one more good artifact, and then we have a deal."

Hook, line, and sinker you greedy bastard, "Fine, I'll throw in a Gravi, but that is my final offer."

Another deep contemplation later, he finally gave a short nod of agreement and was about to lower his hands until I harshly reminded him of his current position he was in.

"Ah, ah, hold it! I still don't trust you yet, so here is another game we going to play." I gestured with the pistol in hand toward the bunk bed while step near the desk and fish around the drawers. "See the lower bed? Look underneath the bottom and you will find a tray box with a heavy duty lock on it."

He did as he was told and got ahold of a large, wide metal box that I had it lined with lead between the layers to prevent radiation from leaking out. It was heavy, but not too much to lift and carry. After he showed it to me, I motioned him to place it on the work desk. A small key is held in my left hand and I begin to unlock the case with my eyes still glued to him. Not a second later, the case was opened and there I saw my current collection of artifacts that I have found throughout my two years in the Zone. I took only the Wrenched and Shell from the box and place it on the table, then closed and lock it for the time being.

"Half now, half later when the job is done and you bring back proof of Jack's death. Once you've done it, I'll upload the coordinates of these stashes to your PDA and give you the Gravi. Fair deal?"

"Yes." He simply replied.

"Good. Glad we've reached a compromise." I secretly slipped the key into my pocket. One of the stashes has a GP 37 assault rifle, but I can afford my losses. Besides, I'm more of a Tunder S14 kind of guy. NATO weapons are fast, accurate, penetrative and can take some decent beating but they end up jamming a lot after some time without repairs. Warsaw pact weapons are the way to go with reliability, firepower, and plenty of ammunition to find. 9x39mm SP rounds are really expensive, but they are really lethal against even heavily armored enemies. At least I know how to repair a Tunder since the design is no different than an AK, but acquiring the gun itself is another story. Furthermore, modifications will cost a pretty penny, but I'll get by when I get enough dough soon. The 'S' in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is how we always earn our keep.

Now I have to deal with these two lug heads and make sure they won't be bothering anyone for a long time. Also, why is the merc still standing there?

Oh yeah, I almost forgot.

"Well, don't just stand there," I lowered the gun and took the case off the table, leaving the two artifacts for him, "take it. Half now, half later. Remember?"

"Of course," his tone lacked any hostility, but I could have sworn there was a hint of amusement behind his words as he walked forward and took his half of the pay. An inside joke, perhaps? I guess mercs are weird like that.

"Are we good now? You're not going to backstab me or anything, right?" I voiced my thought aloud, still wary of his next course of action. He still has his knife on him, so that leaves me some amount of worry but he still hasn't done something to prove his dishonesty, yet.

A silent nod from him did not ease my suspicion up one bit, but what else can I not trust about him? A merc is a merc. They'll either stick to their end of the bargain or double cross you to reap in the maximum benefit. I might do the same, but only if it's to people who are bound to screw me over or are asking me to clean up their dirty work that might bite me in the ass later on.

"Right, anyway, I should take care of the other uninvited guests or do you want to?" My head flicked to the currently standing Shish- Oh shit!

"The artifacts are MINE!" He declared and launched half of his right leg against my balls. He then snatched the gun from my hand and shoved me against the table. The case clattered on the floor, after I had to let it go to nurse my sore nuts, and the bandit made a grab for it as well. The merc nearly got to him before he felt the silencer pressed against his throat.

"Whoa, whoa there!" I called out in a strained tone but didn't turn around. "Let's not get too hasty here…"

"No, I will not, Farmer!" His voice was very cringing every time he shrieked at me. Jeez, why can't he have a deeper tone? "I overheard everything between your exchanges with the mercenary! I can't allow him to kill Jack, nor can I allow you to stop me from being the best bandit in this entire Zone!"

"Gee, they should give you an award for stealing other people's work." The sarcasm dripping in my voice was obvious, but lost upon his currently hysterical mind as he saw it as a compliment.

"Damn right, they should give me an award! I work harder than that dipshit! My crew and I have a better base AND we don't roam around like idiots in the middle of a faction war!" Well said for a thieving jackass.

I glanced at the merc that I hired and noticed that he was staring at something else other than worrying about having his air tube, along with everything else in the throat, perforated at point blank. Following his gaze, I soon found out the reason for why he was more interested in staring at the wall.

There _is no wall_. Actually, to be exact, there was only _a portion_ of the wall that was missing. Instead of seeing a gaping hole that shows what might be the next room inside the Skadovsk, a full green portal took its place without a sound. For some people that have not experience the oddity of spontaneous existence, their reaction of panic is plausible.

For us, and for me, however, such an instantaneous appearance of said green-portal would be considered a new anomaly in the Zone.

Still, even if it is a new discovery, it was still considered 'possibly dangerous' until tested by the right-minded people. Unfortunately, there were those in the Zone's community that are beyond hope rationality. Noah, as much as I hate to accept it, is ironically the most logical person in the Zone that won't even hesitate to prove you wrong by whipping instant proof out of his ass. Most of us, on the other hand, not so likely as much as we wanted to believe ourselves that we would never do something so unbelievably stupid in the midst of surprise.

Turns out, I was one of those people when I told Shishak to turn around and even made another snarky comment about it just to rile him up. He didn't shoot the merc, but what he did when his eyes lay upon the gateway to whatever the hell is out there managed to stir a whole lot of fear out of him.

And by fear, I meant that he flung my entire collection of artifacts at it. This did not bode well with me after I saw all my hard-earned effort thrown out in sheer panic; by a bandit trying to steal it, no less.

If they could see my expression right now, it would be from jaw dropping horror to foaming anger in one go once the case disappeared inside.

"WHY THE FUCK DID YOU DO THAT!?" I raged at the top of my lungs before lunging forward, gripping the collar of his trench coat, and shaking him while I spewed incomprehensible gibberish of fury.

The merc backed away from us, noting the change of colors that the portal was exhibiting to the point where the unique blend of its swirling wonders quickly turned into a vortex of doom. I didn't notice it at first, but when a strong gravitational pull caused me to snap out of my attempt to throttle the bastard, I then realized something was wrong. The screech of metal, the flapping of books on the shelves, Shishak screaming for his mother, the merc grabbing hold onto the desk that was slowly inching towards me…

I looked past the blubbering fool in my hand and saw the bastard child of what an emission would look like inside a Whirligig combined with a Vortex. The results… hard to say, but it did not look pretty at all after the first glance. In fact, thinking on this, I should be shitting my pants right now.

Instead, I could only stare at the abyss in a disturbingly serene mood as the pull sucked in whatever was not bolted to the ground. The examination bed came and went, all my books entered without a trace, my Compact spinning rapidly until it was devoured by the techno-colored miniature black hole. Even the room we occupied seems to be fading.

Oh god... what have we done?

Don't tell me that idiot accidently divided by zero.

* * *

"I really need to get a job." Saito breathed out a sigh as he walked away from the electronic repair shop with a still broken laptop in hand. "At this time, I won't have anything to play Metro: Last Light after cram school unless I get this thing fixed."

The bustling streets of Tokyo, Japan gave him no glance or notice of his existence as if apathy was an everyday norm, leaving him to tread slowly back home in a gloomy mood for tomorrow's cramming of another exam he should be preparing for.

"I should look around the job ads to see if they need anyone during the weekends." He pondered to himself quietly while weaving through the crowd. "All I need is enough money to fix my laptop and maybe upgrade it so it could support the newer games I might get on Steam without the slow frame-rate speed or bugs."

Turning on another corner, the 17 year old young man paid little attention to the people around him while in the middle of his thoughts. He continued down the long road and saw the most peculiar thing not far from where he was standing. A metal case with a black handle stood in the middle of the road with no one paying any mind to it. Saito eyed the flat box briefly and looked around to see if anyone was searching for it. After couple minutes of waiting, he approached the object with wary eyes on an explanation that was slowly forming in his head.

Why hasn't anyone picked it up yet? It was as if no one even saw it there in the first place.

Curiosity let him draw closer to the mysterious case until he was in grabbing range, but did not touch it yet. Not a person noticed his awkward presence as he stood there staring at the container, wondering its purpose.

_If I picked up the case, would a naked person with a cell phone and a gun come at me? Will a missile hit Japan?_

Another nervous glance around the area, including at the clear sky, made him hesitant for a brief amount of time before he opted to grab the case to see what would happen next. Saito tucked the laptop around one arm and let his hand slowly wrap around the handle, its hard plastic held a cold and chipped surface indicating that it have been used before so its owner probably forgotten or is in the middle of looking for their property. When he lifted it up, it felt slightly heavy to hold. From his guess, it was either something valuable, dangerous, or both.

Either way, he had no idea what was inside. The latch appeared to be locked, as Saito couldn't open it when he tried to see the contents.

"It feels like I'm holding nuclear launch codes," he mused, giving the case a small shake. Nothing was heard, so loose paper documents were out of the question.

_Should I keep it with me or take it to the police? _A mischievous grin formed on his face as he began to move forward again.

_Nah… I want to see what's inside before I decide what to do with it._

"It's not stealing if no one here is going to claim it, so I'll just have a peek later and-" Suddenly the case let out a spark of energy that ran around the metallic surface rapidly. He did saw it, but never heard or felt its sting. Instead, the case started to radiate an abnormal wave of heat that made him jump in small surprise. Not a minute ago, it was acting normal. Now, with the object in question quickly gaining heat, he wondered if there is a bomb inside that was ready to explode at any minute.

_What is going on!? _His eyes began to widen in fear of what might happened next if what he thought was true. Was this the end of him and everyone else in the area?

Another spark shot out, and then another! More sparks of various colors appeared from the case as Saito dropped the box and watched them go by. The heat gradually stayed at a low temperature, but that didn't explain what was going on.

He was about to make a run for it when the sparking came at a halt and an orb of green slowly enveloped around the case until all was left is the swirling ball of energy in its place. The background around him begins to fade slowly, replacing all the colors with pure blackness while leaving the orb intact.

"What is happening!?" Saito shouted and saw nothing around him, minus the now crackling orb that was now turning from green to a dark red. The sound of thunder erupted out of nowhere causing him to jump again at the frightening noise as the ground then violently shook his core to the point of falling, but he held his balance fortunately.

Brief flashes of light temporarily blinded him for a few seconds, the thunderous roar growing louder with each shake. He could not speak, as terror crept into his mind and all he wanted to do now was scream at the void of darkness.

A sudden pull jerked him toward the enlarged orb that was emitting clouds of lighting around it. He tried to claw his way out of the pull, but was nothing to grasp. The thing was quickly sucking him inside. The end was near, and he couldn't do anything about it.

"I NEVER ASKED FOR THIS!" He howled his final words and then there was none.

The emission orb receded itself into nothing, leaving behind a dropped laptop left in the middle of the living streets of Tokyo, Japan.

* * *

_Current time of event… _

"Feels like I've been turned into cattle…"

A brand with silly scribbles on the back of my left hand, burned to last. I don't know how it got there, but I was hugely surprised when I took off my glove to examine the damages. The skin was alright and I didn't feel any more pain when I flexed it a little. Given my current experience, the smell of burnt flesh should be lingering and yet it did not hurt at all when I moved my hand. That girl did something to me, and I want to find out soon enough once the heat is off us, no pun intended.

But first, I need to find a safe place to stash all my shit that went through the Emission Portal or 'EP' as I personally dubbed it. Luckily, the examination bed and medical table with wheels came along for the ride, though I don't see the bunk bed or desk anywhere; must be a weight limit or something. Well, who cares, I still have the artifact case and my supply crate so it's not much of a loss.

"What the hell is _that_?" Seems like I'm not the only one who went through that unpleasant trip.

Shishak was busy gaping at the tattoo that was also on his left hand, from what I've noticed, along with the other two who shared similar reactions. The merc glared at the thing as if it was cancer while the kid gawked with his (How to put this) seemingly amazed expression. Either that or it's probably amazingly horrified. I don't know.

What I do know is that I want my gas mask on to provide +1 creepy ominous presence and badassery. I bent down to my knees and picked it off the ground while the Japanese kid said something to me that managed to complicate things a little bit more for my comfort.

"Are you a stalker?" His question sounded innocent, but it held a sense of familiarity in that tone. Again, I was thrown off by how accurate it sounded and that I understood what he said just now similar to pinky. With that, I decided to play a little game just to be on the safe side.

"Define 'Stalker'." I intoned nonchalantly, turning away from him and other prying eyes to take off my helmet. The black balaclava hid the back of my head as I strapped the gas mask on my face and then placed the helmet back on again.

The kid took a closer look at my uniform, saying nothing while he tries to piece together of what he knew about my occupation. As he did so, I went to stack what little I have for books on the bed and place the larger items there for last. For the case, I planned to hide it somewhere that nobody would least expect it to be hidden. That, or find a remote place with little to no civilization and make a base camp, probably underground if I have to dig.

Meanwhile, my other 'buddies' were having a chat with the balding adult version of Harry Potter and showed him their left hands when he asked to examine the markings on them. The kid was still standing there staring at me while the rest of the crowd started to disperse by flying off in the air, with only the pink haired witch left to fume in her thoughts.

I shit you not; they literally _flew_ _up_ in the _air! _

Man, if I was high as the sky right now that shit would've been fucking funny.

Actually, scratch what I said about Pinky brooding around. She's stomping over to me right now with a scowl that spells 'trouble'. I could care less if she was going to launch a tirade of something on her mind, but getting my balls kicked again wasn't going to happen this time.

"Familiar!" She shouted a command in an angry tone, pushing past the blue eyed Japanese boy while he exclaimed a small protest. Pinky got more agitated when I didn't respond to her call and made more furious noises involving insults thrown at me such as "Insufferable commoner!" and how I should respect my betters. Hah, respect isn't given freely, girly. You have to earn it by respecting others around you.

"I order you to drop everything you are doing and respond!" The loudmouth tried again, this time with more horrid volume. Being me, I didn't bother to say anything back at her. If she wanted my attention, then it wouldn't kill her to be more polite. If I called someone a cocksucker for no apparent reason, would that person want to have a pleasant conversation with me? It's not rocket science to know what happens next.

"Familiar! Do as you are told and face me at once!"

"He is not going to listen if you keep raising your voice at him." Oh look, the merc is trying to be the middle man. "And neither will I, for that matter. Yell at us, if you wish. I assure you, no results will be given to your satisfactory if you keep up with that attitude of yours."

"That is not up for you to decide!" She screeched and pointed a finger at him. "I am your master, you are all my familiars! That is how the bond of master and familiar goes!"

He shook his head once and turned to walk away, "Then I'm afraid you have the wrong people. I'll let you carry on to whatever important business you have with him."

"Urrgh! Out of all the creatures I could have summoned, it had to be a bunch of useless commoners that cannot even follow a simple command!" The girl threw her hands up in the air, glaring holes at my back and was eager to attempt another unsuccessful string of orders that not even a Monolith would want to bear any longer. Shishak, the merc, and the kid stood aside to watch the show, but geek man had other plans for me when he made his way before I was ready to jet out of here.

"Excuse me," the man clears his throat behind me, "I humbly request that you allow me to see your familiar runes, if you may. It will only take a few seconds for me to take note on this, sir."

. . .

Well, when he put it that way… sure, why the hell not? At least this guy knows how to get someone talking in a PROPER way. I bet the majority of people like Pinky there are stuck-up to the core, if I could understand what snobby comments those kids were making before we got frenched in the mouth.

My body did a complete 180 spin to face him and held my left hand out, much to Pinky's disbelief. Maybe that was her intention in the first place. It would have been easier if she had asked me to have my hand checked in the first place without screaming orders loud enough to drive a zombified stalker back to reality just to tell her to shut up.

A short scan later, he thanked me and scribbled more notes in his book before walking off, leaving us to our own device. Nah, I wish that last part actually happens without Pinky's eyes glowering at us, specifically at me for causing her more trouble.

It's not my fault I refused to give my time to an indigo brat demanding for my attention.

"Familiars, to me!" She announced in her commanding voice once more, and then pointed her wand at my direction. "I will discipline you accordingly when everything is settled."

Yeah, sure you will, right after I'm done with my own problems.

"Umm…" the black haired boy hummed at the awkwardness that has been happening around us from the start when we all mysteriously appeared from the EP. Well, at least I think we all did. "We should probably see what see wants."

. . .

Yeah, we probably should. I can't ignore her forever, with all that lung power she got. Why are the shorties always the loudest ones? Oh well, better get this over with.

"Hey boy, what was your name again?" I asked him while the four of us made our way to her and form up.

"Hiraga Saito." He answered. "I did not get yours in the beginning when we first met."

I pointed a thumb at myself, "Just call me Farmer."

"Farmer?" Saito replied with a head tilt.

"Everyone calls me that in where I come from, let's put it that way."

Saito nodded, albeit confused still, but went with it in the form of a sincere smile. "Yes, Farmer-san."

Seriously, with a smile like that, I can picture him piloting inside a Gundam fighting Godzilla with all those laser beam effects. Hehehehehe… makes me feel like a kid all over again.

"What is taking you two so long!?" And there goes my pleasant trip down to imagination land. Honestly, this girl is the definition of the 'Fun-Police' on lockdown. It's like everything we do is likely to be ruined whenever she waves her stupid stick ol' ban.

"Well, Saito, it seems like our moment of chit-chat will have to wait. Pinky over there is getting impatient. I wouldn't want to get kicked in the junk by her, you know."

A short wince of reminder made him power walk over to the group assembled line in a nick of time before me. I could not help but let a quiet chuckle escape from my mouth before rejoining with the guys once more.

Maybe this day might get a lot more interesting if I allow my curiosity to run.

. . .

. . .

God, I miss getting shot at by assholes in the Zone.

* * *

_Geez, what the hell is in this box!? It feels like an entire arsenal packed inside!_

Saito strained himself further to help carry the metal crate with Farmer up the spiral staircase. This went by at a slow pace, with the added weight of the tray case sitting on top. Fortunately, they were almost at the top of the second floor where their 'master' resided comfortably in her dormitory room. Even though Saito was leading the way, he still had trouble gripping the box without letting it slip and come crashing down.

"Don't worry; we're nearly there, kid." The tall man in the armored blue/white patterned camo suit kept his grip steady. "Just make sure you don't drop it. That is my mini-armory you are holding on to."

_Hah!?_ _So my assumptions were true! He IS a Stalker! That is so cool!_

"Hey, Farmer-san, I've thought about my question back when we didn't know each other." He felt the flat surface of the stone corridor finally resting upon his feet, at last. "Is it true that you scavenge for supplies on the ruined surface of Moscow?"

"Hm, what was that about Russia?" Farmer hoisted the box again to get his bearing. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Well, doesn't your people live inside underground metro stations due to the aftermath of a nuclear war while fighting roving bandits and mutants?" He asked him.

"Uhhhhhhh, nooooooooooo~?" The man droned back, but then said more. "You got the scavenging, the mutants, and the asshole bandits right. But we don't live underground, nor is everything on the topside ruined from nukes. I think you got the wrong idea of what a Stalker is, boy."

_But everything about him seems to fit!_

"What year is it over your world?" Saito continued.

"2014. Why'd you ask?"

They were at the right side of the hallway where a rolling bed with books and other miscellaneous piled on top and a square metal tray table sat next to each other. Both of them set the crate down to catch their breath, with Saito leaning against the wall while Farmer checked his items to make sure nothing was missing.

"I'm asking because that is the same year I am in before I got here." Saito inhaled the air greedily, a drop of sweat sliding down his face while catching his breath.

"Really?" He tilted his head in question. "How did you get here, anyway? Did you get sucked in to something?"

The young man nodded and wiped the sweat drop away, "Yes, after I touched a metal case sitting in the middle of a busy street. Nobody seemed to notice it except me."

He then pointed at the same object sitting on top of the supply crate, "Just like that one."

". . ." Now Farmer was eerily silent after he followed the direction of where the boy pointed at. Saito couldn't see his eyes, so he could only imagine that they were scrunched or narrowed when he mentioned about the case. This made him slightly worried at that point when the man went over to it, grabbed it, and then clutch it to his chest as if it was his own child.

"Farmer-san…?" He asked him in a careful tone. "Are you alright?"

Farmer did not respond, instead he held the tray case tighter and even growled out, "_My precious…_"

"Uhh…"

"You will never take it from me, you hear me! NEVER!" He started breathing heavily and drew closer to nervous boy, who tried to back away from him and only met the wall. "No ONE can! **REDRUM, REDRUM!**"

Saito raised both of his hands in front of him, sweat now pouring steadily from his face, "Whoa, easy there. I'm just wondering how-!"

"_It puts the lotion on its skin_," Farmer said creepily and inch closer to him, "_or else it gets the hose again._"

_What is wrong with this guy!? It sounded like he wants to molest me or worse!_

Suddenly, much to Saito's disbelief, the man burst into a raucous laugh, hooting obnoxiously at the briefly terrified boy before setting the case next to the crate. "HAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh man, that look on your face was _priceless_!"

Saito's expression faulted into annoyance when realized that Farmer was only pretending to be deranged just to get a reaction out of him.

"That wasn't funny! I almost thought you were into boys for a minute there!" He shouted at the still chortling Farmer with wide-eyed irritation.

"Oh hoho, oh lord… I needed a good laugh once in a while." Farmer chuckled, holding his side. "Relax dude, I just wanted to let some stress out. Sorry if I made it awkward for a moment."

"Etcch~," He couldn't help but let a small grin form at his odd sense of humor. "Well, you got me good. Are you happy now?"

"Very." A thumbs up was sent his way.

A few wooden door creaked open, revealing some familiar faces that they saw peeking out: The tall dark skinned redhead from before was wondering what the racket was about, her short stoic friend with the blue hair stared at them in mild annoyance, while their pink haired master glared daggers at them with furrowed eyes.

"Some of us are trying to sleep, you know."

"Too noisy, cannot read."

"What are you two laughing about for? Get inside and be quiet!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Saito rapidly waved his hand in apology and sent a wary look at Farmer.

"What?" He shrugs at the boy, "I didn't know it was getting late."

Both doors closed quickly, all but one left open by the fuming girl who was muttering a few obscenities under her breath.

"You are such a troll, you know that?" The black haired boy chided at him.

Farmer shook his head once and gestured for him to pick up where they left off while placing the tray case on top, "Believe me, you do not want to hear me sing that song before or after I get high. Now, help me get the crate inside. I rather not let them sit outside for someone to take my shit."

This made him raised a brow as he tried to find his grip again, "Are you an addict?"

"Marijuana isn't addictive, kid." He brushed the comment off. "I'm talking about weed. The 420, if you get my meaning."

"Oh," Saito still held onto his frown, "but those are highly illegal in Japan."

"Then boy, are you missing out," Farmer let out another hearty chuckle when he stepped into the dorm room, "not that I'm encouraging you to do it, by the way."

"Encourage what?" The small but unmistakably gruff voice of the mercenary sounded nearby, allowing the two some space while Farmer led the boy over to a corner farther away from another bed.

"Oh, just talking about drugs and how they're bad for you." Farmer was obviously lying and walked away to get his other belongings. "Thanks for the help, kid. Try chilling around for a while to get your bearing. I know I would."

The other man standing next to a small desk wrinkled his nose, but not at him, "This perfume is enough for any Freedomer to get high on; more than enough to replace the air in here because of its suffocating stench."

Now that he mentioned it, Saito did felt the heavy smell of sweetness wafting around, much to his discomfort. The room was still breathable, but he would have to get used to it if he have to say here.

"You should all consider yourself lucky to be allowed in here." The girl exclaimed at them, "Not many are given the privilege to serve their beloved master so faithfully!"

"Not many are likely to serve under you, in a matter of speaking." He shot back with a straight face and grimaced again at the smell. "Gah, I should put my gas mask on."

"You will do no such thing by putting that horrendous mask on!" But her command fell short after he unclipped his mask from the belt and strapped it on his face.

"I wish I had one of those with me." Saito joked with him. "You sure like to be prepared, Cutler-san."

Cutler switched his gaze to the boy and nodded in agreement, "It helps to expect the unexpected, young man. Maybe when things calm down, I will tell you more of my own personal plights. But for now, figuring out this land is first priority."

"This land has two moons." Shishak said dully, not taking his eyes off the window showing the oncoming night approaching.

"_What?_" Cutler strolled over next to him to see. "But how is that possible? We only have one back in our world."

"This land has _two moons_." The bandit droned again, mesmerized by the sight of its color. "Holy crap. I must be high right now."

The strawberry blonde gave them an odd look, but did not get up from the soft bed, "Of course Halkeginia has two moons. Why do you speak of another world? All familiars summoned by their mages originate from this continent."

"Yeah, but here's the problem, Pinky." Farmer came in with the rolling bed and positioned it a couple meters away from his crate. "We're NOT from your continent or of this world. In fact, seeing that we're dressed differently than everyone else, it shouldn't be too hard for you to guess that we come from elsewhere unless your medieval dung brain is too primitive to understand my concept."

"Who are you calling primitive, commoner! I am Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Valliére and you **will** address me properly!" She scolded in a seething tone. "One wonders if I summoned a bunch of savages from that wild country that is Germania! At least our commoners are more willingly loyal to the Tristain kingdom."

This only made Farmer wave off one of his hands in dismissal as he left to get the medical table, "See what I mean? The use of unnecessarily long titles, pointless demands, and your extreme superiority complex says it all."

"Why you insignificant, boorish-!"

"Can't we all get along with one another?" Saito butted in an attempt to defuse the situation. "I mean, we don't know each other that well so maybe we should take a deep breath and-"

"Shut up, you dog!" Louise yelled and got up in front of his face. "Out of the four I've summoned, you had to be the weakest one of all!"

She then gave a single wave at the two lingering men still staring out the window, "At least they are armed with their strange, blocky weapons. You don't even have a blade on you to defend yourself! I must have summoned a peasant alongside warriors!"

_Wow, for a super cute girl, she sure is ungrateful and downright scary._

Saito inched away from her with anxious look plastered on his face.

"Actually, I only have a knife on me right now." Cutler mentioned off-hand.

"And I don't have my gun." Shishak patted his trench coat, sulking. "Just a knife, sadly."

Louise's face grimaced when she heard the dreaded smug voice of _him_ calling out in the most deliberately cheerful tone that did not put her mind in ease.

"Oh, I have a whole bunch of guns with me, sitting inside the crate. Even your pistol and SMGs, but I'm not giving it back for the time being," The armor cladded man closed the door behind him and pushed the square table next to his bed. After that, he turned to the two gazing at the night and lean to the side to get a view. "Something interesting out there?"

"There are two moons up there, one big blue and a little red one." The merc scooted a little to make room for him. "See for yourself."

"Oh really?" He looked out the window and saw the results of their discovery. "Nice~! If had a blunt on me right now, I would be tripping major balls at that. Hell, I'd probably paint it while getting _high_!"

"Heh, I guess even stoners can appreciate art," The boy rubbed behind his head with a smirk of amusement at that comment. "At least you guys are alright."

Farmer turned his head and gestured for him to come, "What are you standing there _for_? Get your ass over here and check this sick shit out!"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming." Saito laughed and stood in between Shishak and Farmer once he got over there. "You are right; it is interesting to look at."

Meanwhile, the young mage just gape at them in a mixture of confusion and outrage as she continued to be ignored despite her angry calls at them.

"Hey! You can go back to your sightseeing when you are done attending to your master's needs!"

"Yeah, in a minute, hold on," The one called Farmer dismissed the importance of their order with a hand wave. His display of defiance only got her more riled up.

"I will not 'hold on' for your unimportant gawking! All of you will come over here at this instant!" She hollered another command, her blood boiling at their complete imprudence.

Saito spared a nervous glance over his shoulder at the currently livid girl demanding for their attention and half-muttered, "I think we should do what she says this time. Something tells me we might regret it soon if we continued ignoring her."

Farmer's voice was none too quiet when he replied to him, "Oh don't be such a pussy, Saito. She can't do jackshit to us. Besides, what is she going to do, cast 'Fireball' at us? Hah! Hey little girl, go play with your dolls or something. _Grownups_ are gazing at the moons."

"Coming from you, she might be tempted to do something rash and-" Before Cutler could finish his sentence, Louise's voice interrupted him with the very words chanted at them with maximum fury in her tone.

"**Fire Ball!**"

"Wha-"

_**BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!**_

* * *

"She just _had_ to cast '_Fire Ball_' at us, didn't she?" I muttered venomously under my breath, brushing off the soot that covered my suit while shouldering my weaponless backpack still holding my usual stuff from the last trip. "_Oh no, look what you made me do, commoner. Now do my chores and be a good familiar! _Yeah, I ain't doing shit for you…"

Leave it for her to start throwing a hissy fit just because she couldn't take a joke. After I mentioned guns again, she started going on a rave about how they are the most dishonorable weapons in the hands of those who can't use the rightful magic of Nobles, blessed by some dude named Brimir and some shit I tuned out.

It was bad enough that she exploded the entire room without destroying it and _us_ with it, but once that spoiled brat started taking off her clothes in front of us and demanded that they be washed by throwing them at me that was the final straw. If I wanted to join Duty, ass kissing and hardcore rules should have been part of my favorite hobbies.

And really? She actually thought taking off her clothes in front of a bunch of strangers, let alone, three adult males and a boy, was such a good idea to begin her introduction when becoming the master of the stalkers in the first place? I know she would make a pedophile's wet dream come true if any of us had a more _promiscuous_ thinking.

So I tossed the clothes over my shoulder when she finally went to sleep and got out to clear my head in order to figure out how to get the fuck out of this headcase place. She summoned us here, right? So maybe there's a spell to bring us back home if I ask the right person for the job. Only problem is where am I going to get the money to pay them off? I could do some odd jobs for the rich, but their pay rate must be horrible if this world is filled with stingy, hocus pocus assholes like her.

Robbing someone is out of the question, since I'm not a stinking bandit like Shishak and I don't want any trouble with the police here. That only leaves mercenary work and inventing the assault rifle, _again_.

. . .

These people have blacksmiths, so there is a good chance I might land myself in a good position and run my own business or co-op with someone who is eager to learn something new and keep their mouth shut in a town or city. I know the insides and designs of an AK, some NATO guns, and most blowback semi-automatic pistols; it shouldn't be too hard to manufacture the parts with the right materials such as pure steel smelted with other elements to prevent corrosion and short wears, despite the parts themselves that are complicated to make even with master craftsmanship. Modding a modern gun is one thing I'm not good at, but creating one out of scratch and improvising existing ones here on the other hand…

Yes, it could work out well for me. Pinky did say something about flintlocks being the newest introduction of projectile weapons beside bows. Please, a bolt action can do it better with power, clips, and range.

But what about making bullets and smokeless powder to make sure the gun doesn't get gummed up? How am I going to manufacture those? I know black powder would fuck up the internal mechanism if we're talking about rotatory bolt gas-operated firearms, but my knowledge in bullets is just shooting them. I can build modern guns like pistols and rifles, but ancient stuff like bolt and lever actions? I probably won't be able to tell the difference if I compared it with a hunting shotgun and a muzzleloader's ramrod sticking out of my ass.

Maybe if I pay the merc with more valuable shit, he'd help me with that. Mercs are smart; smarter than me if he can speak different languages while the rest of us only know one. Centerfire cartridges are not something anyone would see in this backwater fantasy land, so I might need his professional insight in order to make the cartridges.

That girl, what was her name? Oh yeah, Louise. She mentioned about swords and peasants. Hearing her say that nearly made me assume that there are no guns in this world until she mentioned 'weird, blocky weapons'. Either she mistook the bullet magazines on our vests or was dead on with the guns I had on me, this made me realized that I could start something new here for everyone. The bitching about dishonor and how magic is better pushed her point far beyond my comfort zone.

Still, as much as I would like to prove my point that depending on magic will only bring their downfall much faster, an angry mob armed with AKs is the very last thing I would want to see if I ended up ruining a country just because of my ego. A revolution would be a nice change, but it is not something I had in mind. I'm crazy, but I'm not _that_ crazy after two years in the Zone.

Which kind of reminds me, doesn't that make me an expert already if I've survived whatever horrors were thrown at me for a long time and all I came out with was more paranoia and misanthropy? Don't tell me I'm turning into another Noah with a pet mutant and a need to blast the door with bullets since I will assume everyone is out to get my artifacts, which is kind of true on my part. Hell, if I turn out like that loon, the door would be rigged with a grenade instead because I'd be much more batshit than him. Legendary stalker or not, I just want to get rich and live my life as a hermit in the big lands.

Too bad my dreams will have to wait until I think up of something to-

_Bump!_

"Ow." Came my flat reply when I collided against a stone wall while in the middle of a monologue. A brief look around revealed that I was still in the same dormitory halls and that I was walking back and forth, going through my deep thoughts.

"I really need to pay more attention to my surroundings if I'm going to think and move at the same time." I sighed and shook my head at my own silliness. I hope no one was watching…

"Farmer-san!" My head jolted up as I turned around to see Saito holding onto a balled up school uniform in his hands. He casted a concern glance at me when he got closer, thinking carefully on where to begin his sentence with. I jumped the gun before he could say anything and took the clothes from him.

"Let me guess, the pink haired brat realized that I wasn't going to do her dirty work at all, pushed it to you, and then mentioned about a more severe punishment for me when I get back. Am I right?"

He was flustered at first, but nodded quietly and was about open his mouth to speak before I interrupted him again.

"Yes, you can come with me." I said as I turned around to head for the staircase. "Now would be a good time for you to start asking questions. I'm bored and those two are not good at holding conversations without asking for something in return."

The boy quickly followed next to me, but not before giving my arm a small pat in a show of humor and mild annoyance. "You don't seem to be the type to open yourself toward people, do you, Farmer-san?"

"Boy, just call me 'Farmer' without the 'san' at the end. I don't care much for honorifics, so speak your mind and don't beat around the bush."

Saito nearly snorted at my comment as we made our way down the stairs, "That is your expertise, not mine. How come you never gave a full answer when I asked if you are a stalker?"

"Because I assumed you knew what I did." I replied without missing a beat. "Plus, if you go around calling us stalkers, then the people here would get the wrong idea."

"But I don't know what you actually do for a living," He asked, noticing a pair of students at the mid-level base of the stairs. A handsome boy adorning his black cape (and exposed chest through a partly unbuttoned dress shirt) was whispering sweet words of romance in to the ears of a young girl sporting her own brown cape while they were under torchlight.

"Ahh, my dearest Katie~. I simply must try your fantastic soufflé one of these day." The blond twiddled with a red rose between his fingers and flashed the whitest smile with impish eyes gone unnoticed by the currently blushing girl with brown hair.

"Oh Guiche~, you can be the first to sample it any day!" Her voice gave a faint of a whisper to him with a small infatuated smile.

"If you must insist," He brought his face closer to hers, eliciting a cute squeak from the flustered girl.

Yuck. If this is how they portray romance here, then they don't know what true love is about. Sugar-coated words and double-standard remarks would only get him so far before that girl realizes how much of a sham he really is.

If I remembered correctly, wasn't he hanging around that other blonde with the drill hairs?

. . .

Oh, I see what he did there. He's two timing them. Hah, he is so going to get fucked up badly if they found out about it. This would make a great blackmail if the guy decided to fuck with me.

And his name is Guiche? Isn't that the area between a guy's balls and anus? Hahaha, I can't wait to make fun of his name too!

Anyway, Saito and I are going to walk past them and hope they don't bother noticing us. I have enough problems as it is with Pinky and her stupid cultures. If all these kids are like her, then I can see why they have no problem putting each other down.

"Hold it right there, commoner." Fuck my life…

Both of us halted in our track and turned to face the blond and his other 'acquaintance' in question and stared at him while he gave us a short glance, notably at me.

"You have an interesting golem there with you," Guiche commented to Saito, who looked confused at him, "what is a commoner like you doing with it?"

"Golem?" He blinked and glanced at me.

The black-cape noble pointed at me with his fresh rose, "Yes, that golem imitating as a human. I never thought Louise the Zero would stoop so low as to use deception by having to place two golems and a pair of paid actors just to prove us wrong. Summoning a familiar and creating a golem are two different methods." He shook his head with much swag.

Golem, golem, golem… hmm… this gives me an idea. Golems are kind of like robots, right? Let me give this a try.

"So tell me, how much is she paying you to act as her 'familiars'?" He smirked while slowly circling around me. "Such a unique, lifelike design, a pity it has to be used out of foolish desperation than proper servitude. Perhaps I can purchase it off her hand once she is done playing pretend with us and admit that-"

"_You always know a Working Joe_." I abruptly cut him off with my best attempt of a robotic voice. This managed a surprised yelp from him as he jumped back with arms spread out and his expression turned shock.

"T-that _thing_ can still talk on its own!?" He brandished the rose at my face and glared, "I thought it was given a set of commands and nothing more! A semi-intelligent golem is very rare around these parts."

Oh man, he looks really freaked out right now, I should do it more!

"_You are becoming hysterical_." I leaned my face forward in a jerky fashion toward him. "_Hold still. Your presence has been logged_."

The Casanova wannabe did not understand what the hell I was saying to him, but that rose wand seems to be wavering a little too much on the jittery side for him to start casting first and asking questions later.

His tone wasn't holding any better either when he began to shout phrases at me.

"I command you to move back this instant!"

"_Negative_," I stood my ground, trying hard not to laugh my ass off, "_let's resolve this amicably._"

"Commoner, order your master's golem away from my prestigious body before I destroy it." He also held his own, but the slight quivering in his voice almost made me want to do sudden jump scare and grab his throat while he screams like a little girl.

"Uhh…" Saito looked back at me, then to the blond fop, then back to me again before rubbing the back of his head in a sheepish manner. "…I don't understand what's going on here."

C'mon, kid. You should be savvy enough to know where I am going at. You asked me about stalkers, for crying out loud!

"Do as you are told, commoner! Control that rogue construct or else face your punishment for this indolence!"

"But I don't know what he's…"

Fuck it; I'll just drop a hint.

"_Don't be such an Angry Joe, sir_."

"Oh, oh! Yes, I understand now!" A spark of realization appeared in his eyes as he smiled brightly at me. "Initiate Dance Protocol-75."

Bingo.

"_Confirmed, initializing dance protocol_." My upper body dipped forward suddenly, the helmet touching the rose petals, before standing straight up and doing The Robot (sadly, without the music to shake that groove) while saying the lines of, "_it is time to boogie_."

A moment of awkward silence followed along with the blond and the brunette girl just staring at my hip moves as if I came from another planet. Guiche lowered his wand and made a face that was torn between freaking out and curiosity. The girl was just plain scared at me.

Saito tried to keep a straight face, but couldn't help letting a chuckle out when he saw me shuffling my feet sideways and telling them to "_Step back_", which was also funny because they hit their backs against the wall doing so.

"We're just going to leave now. You keep that golem out of trouble, commoner." Guiche grabbed the girl's hand and gently tugged at her to move, "Come along, Katie. Let us linger around elsewhere and leave those two to carry on their master's work."

"Yes, I do believe we should." Katie hurried along with him, not looking back at the odd scene behind. Once they were gone long enough, I dropped the act and slapped Saito's back as we instantly burst into laughter at what just happened.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OH, OH MAN! THAT WAS FUCKING AWESOME! HOLY SHIT, DID YOU SEE THE LOOK ON HIS FACE? OH GOD, IT LOOKED LIKE HE WAS ABOUT TO SHIT HIMSELF! HAHAHAHAHA!"

Saito leaned against a wall, holding his side and returning the favor by punching my arm playfully as he huffed for some air, "I DIDN'T KNOW YOU EVEN WATCHED ANGRY JOE SHOWS UNTIL I REMEMBERED THAT LAST REVIEW. THAT WAS GOLDEN!"

"I KNOW, RIGHT?" It felt a little stuffy inside the gas mask, but I didn't care much for it even when the lenses started to fog a little; just watching their reaction made my day.

"Hoo… ho…" The boy wiped away the tears off his eyes and stretch his back a little before taking the clothes off the floor. "You sure know how to turn a confrontation into something else, I admit."

"Hey, when you live in the Zone for two years without constant human contact, you tend to pick up a few quirks along your life that holds little, but means something." I took the bundle from him again and flicked my head for him to follow.

Saito cocked his head to side while walking beside me and asked, "What is the Zone?"

"What, you never heard of it? C'mon, kid. You asked me if I'm a Stalker. That should answer your question of what the Zone is."

"But I don't." He replied.

I shook my head briefly as we step down the stairs for a short period and set foot on the first main floor, noting my surroundings closely for any shadows out of place and observing the décor around us in silence.

We wandered around for a while, still having no luck in finding somewhere that has running water to wash our _master's_ uniform and be done with it for the night. I wasn't tired at all to begin with, oddly enough, even though I was taken recently at night in the Zone. I guess adrenaline gives you a major kick in body for you to stay alert and expect a fight to happen despite how relax I felt. Then again, I am talking about staying alive and shooting anything that so much happens as to twitch the wrong way at me, whether it be mutants or people.

Another several minutes later yielded no results, so our best bet is to find a pond or fountain outside as an improvised method and make sure she doesn't notice the faint residue of scum on her blouse or something. Finding clean, non-contaminated water in the Zone was a real hassle when our suits got too dirty and we ended up smelling like shit if didn't bother keeping up with our hygiene. Every once in a while I would get a large metal pot, try to find water that doesn't cause the Geiger Counter to click like crazy, collect it, and then get some burnable kindling to heat up the pot and kill off whatever nasty parasites and bacteria that were swimming in around before letting it cool down. After that, all it took was getting a simple washboard out to scrub my shit off in cold wash. A long unpleasant wash it was, indeed.

"Maybe we should find someone who knows how to clean the clothes here." Saito suggested and looked around. "Louise mentioned about servants working in the academy. If we can find one of the staffs, that is."

"Whatever you say, kid." I let my head hung back slightly before giving it an audible crack to even out the stiff soreness. "I just want to get this out of the way and find a way to get out of here and back to where I belong."

"I know that feeling," he gave a long sigh, "I just want to go home and have my old life back. But this place, this new world, makes you wonder what it is like to live here. Summoning rituals, people flying away, magic spells… that is something you would only see in movies and video games."

"Tell me about it… meeting a girl with pink hair kind of piques your interest in a _strange_ sort of way." I glumly muttered. "Too bad she has to be the power tripping type. Seriously, that girl needs to stop being such a brat and get her head out of her ass."

I felt a small pat and turned my head to see Saito with a solemn expression that meant hearing something I am probably not going to like from him discerning my act.

"She is only behaving what she was taught to know. Compared to our mindset, it is no surprise that Louise thinks lowly of us because of our status and how we act. To her, we're just commoners who don't know any better than their high social class from my understanding."

My feet stopped walking, and so did his as we both turn to each other to have this important discussion. Meaning there will be some disagreements and maybe a lot of sarcasm on my part while we stood there to talk it out.

"Have you seen the way she acted when we first got here? She literally expected us to listen and do what she says without any complaints! And to top it off, she straight up declared that _magic_ is the symbol of nobility over the people who can't use it. That's called a superiority complex right there!" My loud outburst echoed through the main halls and was carried around for anyone to hear.

He grimly nodded, but continued, "I don't know about you after feeling that explosion, but I think we should be more careful around these people. We don't know much about them, so trying to learn their way of life would make it easier for us to know what to do."

"Just because they have magic doesn't mean they will always win at _everything_!" I spat out in frustration. "It's not the power that makes the person better. It is how they use it. What I'm seeing is that their fucking pride is going to get them killed sooner or later if they continued to act the way they are. A trained gunman with fighting experience can easily take them out by surprise or with the right tools and tactics. We were brought here, the Emission Portal didn't just grabbed us. It took nearly everything from my room and into here. I could take them out without that much effort if I wanted to."

"Emission Portal?" He raised a brow.

"Never mind, just forget about that for now. Look, what I'm trying to say is that we shouldn't be walked over by those asshole all because of their right of title. You and I know that shit doesn't apply to us, and yet they deemed it so because they can cast magical bullshit out of their asses!"

"I agree with some of what you are trying to explain, but don't believe that our technology can fully trump what they can throw at us. All I am saying is that Louise is just as confused as all of us brought here." Saito urged on. "Of course she doesn't realize that we are different than her. I didn't like the way she treated us at first, just like you, but I took the time to think it over and figured that she might be willing to learn about our modern culture to the point of understanding us if we let her take the time to feel comfortable about it."

"Meaning, we have to play along and put up with her shit until she willingly opens up to us."

"That is what I am telling you, Farmer."

I let out an insufferable moan, knowing that what he said makes sense in the end, "Alright, fine. You're right, I get it. She needs to learn about us, but she isn't going to budge right away unless she feels more secured about her standing. I will have to talk to Shishak and the merc about this."

"His name is Cutler." Saito corrected.

"Fine, I'll let Shishak and _Cutler_ on this and see how they think of it." My finger was then jabbed against his chest. "But just so you know, once this is done, she and the rest of us will have to reach an agreement whether she will like it or not. This is **not** an option or a debate she can weasel out of. I will make sure of that."

"I understand." He nodded, smiling. "A man chooses, a slave obeys."

"Goddamn, son," I let my finger off and chuckled at his appropriate use of the quote, "if you were my age right now, both of us would have been kicking ass and chewing bubblegum in no time. Only problem is that there's no gum to chew, but there sure are plenty of asses to kick!"

"Haha, so we cool bro?" Saito made a goofy grin.

"Yeah," I bobbed my head with heavy approval, "we cool bro."

"Awesome."

"Gnarly."

"Ah…" A light, feminine voice was heard next to us as we both turned to the person in question. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Oh, no, not at all!" Is it just me, or is Saito blushing at the sight of a nice looking girl in a maid outfit? "My friend and I are just having a long conversation. I apologize in advance if we were being too noisy. Do you work here?"

"Yes, I do." She answered.

Hmm… well, she does have a nice pair of knockers, so I don't blame him for checking her out. And that face she got. Wow, it's like she's giving off a lot of innocence. Did I remember to take my anti-rad pills along with the shot?

"I'm Hiraga Saito, but you can just call me Saito. This is my friend, Farmer." He introduced.

"Saito and… err… Farmer?"

"Everyone calls him that from where he lives. Don't mind his clothing as well, he is a treasure hunter."

"Oh, I see. Well, my name Siesta. It is very nice to meet the both of you."

Eh, I'm alright. The pills are probably there, just in case. I'm just going to piss out the radiation pretty soon, so no worries. My main concerns is the artifacts and making sure that Shishak doesn't get his dirty paws on them; the same with everyone else who asks about the case. I can't let them know what I have in there. The plans for the guns will also have to be taken into consideration before I let someone take a closer look at it. One slip and everything will be a huge fuck up for me. I can't afford to mess it up, but even mistakes happen. It was only just a matter of time before I realize it.

"Sir Farmer, are you alright?"

Only a matter of timmmmmmmmmmmmmmmeeeeee…

"Hey Farmer, aren't you going to say hello?" Someone was shaking my arm. "Hello, Farmer? Are you asleep?"

"Is there something wrong with him?" The maid's voice was tinged with worry. "Should I call for help?"

A smack against my arm managed to jolt me awake as I shook off the tired feeling and groaned, "Ugh... sorry, I was about to nod off."

Siesta giggled and gave a friendly smile, "It is alright. I know that feeling, too."

"You do?" I asked stupidly, blinking rapidly.

"Of course!" She nodded, her smile not leaving. "I've met treasure hunters before and they hardly rest that long, so I understand how you are feeling exhausted from all the work."

"Oh… right. Well, you know how we treasure hunters are." I leaned back and unwind my arms a little. "We see an amazing chest up ahead, so we always grab it with both hands."

"Uhh…" Saito was blushing madly when I turn to take a glance and noted his odd behavior. Siesta just cocked her head in confusion, while I stood there in my own stupor of not knowing what was going on. I looked around, and then turn to Saito again while I rubbed the side of the helmet as if I was missing something.

"What?"


	3. Chapter 3: Breaking Bronze: Part 1

_A/N: Here is the first part of the third chapter that starts off with Saito being the good guy, roguish Shishak being roguish, Cutler doing mysterious merc stuff, and Farmer acting as the cool uncle. Oh, and shit starts to happen. _

_Keep in mind that there will be some political references that may offend the audience, so try not to get serious about it; remember this is Pavlo speaking in his own opinion, not mine. I rather avoid a political shitstorm than start one._

_I've also read the book 'STALKER: Southern Comfort' and in the middle of 'Northern Passage', so I might be thinking of implementing some of their plot elements into the fanfic; there's already a Loner reluctantly cooperating with a bandit and a mercenary, but I'll doubt Farmer would want to be friendly with a monolith fanatic if he knew what they looked like. As I said before in the previous chapter, factions may vary and since we're talking about Halkegenia, one would not be surprised to see people or remnants of early modern organizations from the past centuries. _

_Anyways, enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 3

**Breaking Bronze: Part 1**

* * *

_The next morning…_

The dimly lit room was quiet and still as the barest ray of sunshine leaked through the curtains. A young boy with black hair dozily snored away in his bliss on a medical bed while some of its current occupants woke up early to explore the academy's campus or otherwise. Not far from him, his pinkette master was curled up on her bed mumbling about cushy bonding hug times and someone's name that was unclear for now.

A tall shadow loomed over her at the foot of the bed with the devious intent of startling his victim, before going in for the main course. The figure cladded in oddly strange apparel hissed at the girl with growing volume of each sound made.

"Pssssssst!"

"Hmmmm…" Louise turned her head slightly to the side, not noticing the background noise as she kept sleeping.

. . .

"Psssssssssssst!" The shady figure tried again with a longer hiss.

"Nyeh~… five more minutes…" She mumbled and hugged the pillow in her arms.

. . .

. . .

"PSSSSSSSSSSSST!"

"Erm…?" Slowly, but surely, her eyelids begin to crack open while she groaned at being awoken when she didn't see the faint signs of sunlight yet. "It's not even light out…"

Something tall and oddly colored caught the corner of her eye so she shifted her view to the object that was standing at the end of her bed and widened her eyes suddenly when she saw a dreadful figure staring right into hers with its soulless black eye and sinister mouthpiece.

"Morning, sunshine~!" The ominous thing spoke to her in a sing-song tone.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Louise flung the pillow at the monster's head hard and backs herself against the wall; her shrieking caused the snoozing boy to jump and fall off the high bed. "What is this foul creature doing in my room?!"

The pillow '_Flumpt_' against the two-legged insect like beast and slid down harmlessly, eliciting a muffled chuckle from it. "Well, that's one thing on the list checked off."

_What?_

She narrowed her eyes at the talking insect before remembering yesterday's event and scowled at the man that constantly disregarded her commands the day she summoned the four of them here. What was his name again? Cutler?

"Hey girly, when you're done trying to melt holes into me, might as well get out of bed for a fresh start, yeah?" The armored commoner turned away, walking past the groaning boy who was picking himself up and toward the large metal box before crouching to his knees to fiddle with its strange lock combination.

Louise rubbed her eyes and grumbled at the man's back before getting out of bed, catching sight of her school uniform neatly folded and sitting on top of the wooden dresser. A loud "Aha!" directed her attention again at the unruly familiar as she watched him take a backpack out of the opened storage and place it on the floor. Some of various items unknown to her were also taken and placed inside the pack after the man opened it in a way she could not describe other than noting the many metal teeth lined around the interior of double strapped sack.

Before closing the box, he dug deeper inside after he took something out from one of the pockets of his dark trouser and was handling what sounded metallic by the opening and clattering noise it made. She couldn't get a clear view as his back was in the way and decided to question him later after her classes were done.

"Why is still dark outside?" She got out of bed and went to the window to look at the barely noticeable sun just rising. "And where are those other two?"

The man turns his head to her when he closed the box with a loud click, "Oh, it's still dusk out there. The sun just went up when I woke you. As for them, they probably left early to explore around."

An irritated glare rose at the idling man now putting the pack on his back and checking over the things he was missing through his quiet mumbling. This simpleton woke her up just when the sun had only risen?! By Brimir, is he that daft to disturb his master this early?

Her eyes veered over to the writing desk as an idea popped into her head. With each slow step, she strode over to the desk's drawer and yanked it open.

Saito stretched his arms and gave a loud yawn, watching the mood between the two occupants talking to one another. His eyes switched to the glowering girl and then to Farmer going through a list of things in his mind while mumbling some of them out, not noticing that Louise was already heading toward a small desk with single drawer and was taking a long, skinny black object out of it. A single gulp from him was all he could make at the scene.

"Familiar…" she growled, smacking the horse whip lightly against the palm of her left hand with an irate frown directed at the man still stuck in his thoughts.

"…Might need some filters for the mask, yes. Shouldn't be too hard to make for replacements…" He counted off.

"Familiar!"

"No wait, what about the activated charcoal? Shit, where am I going to get the chemicals to make them? At least the indicator says the filters haven't expired yet…"

"FAMILIAR!" She roared.

"My name is Farmer, not famil-!" Farmer whipped his head around at her and went silent for a while. He stared at the device held in her hand and pointed at her as he spoke.

"I-is that a riding crop?" He asked, baffled.

Louise's eyes held a deadly glint in them as she step forward to him, "Yes, it is a crop. I nearly neglected my duties by not enacting on your punishment for yesterday, so now is a good time to perform my discipline upon you for your persistent behavior. Assume the position!"

The whip cracked by her side.

. . .

. . .

. . .

"Pfffttttth…" The sign of a stifled snicker escaped from him as his body shook at the sight before him.

"I said 'assume the position', Familiar!" She seethed.

. . .

. . .

"Pffth-heehehehehe! Hahahah…"

Louise almost snarled at the pigheaded man when she got closer to him, "Do you think this is funny? Is my true rage worth seeing right before I inflict my reckoning on your worthless hide!? Or are you sobbing at my wrath, urging me to have mercy through your incoherent begging?"

"PFFFFFTTTT! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Farmer broke down on the floor and bellowed out at the most unexpected, hilarious moment of his life that filled the room with his high-pitched laughter as he continued to point at the furious girl in front of him.

"OH SHIT! HOLY SHIT! YOU-! THAT-! WHAT THE FUCK!" He plopped down on his butt, catching his breath at the sight only his imagination could ever make. "OH FUCK! WHAT THE FUCK! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The pinkette was at a loss of words, much like Saito gaping at the agitated man with eyes bulging in surprise.

"Ohhhh…. oh ho, that was good. Hooh! Shit, that was unexpected…" Farmer panted, letting some more chuckles out of his system before standing up. "Whooo! Goddamn, Louise, if you wanted kinky foreplay then you're asking the wrong man for that job! Sheesh!"

"U-uh-uhhh…" A flush of red crept into her face as she continued to stammer and stare at the bewildering figure dusting himself off and patting the weird looking firearm on his right hip. "Y-y-you…!"

"You know," He leaned forward to her stupefied state, "if you were taller and more endowed, then I would consider your offer with some thought. Just wear some black leather and we are good to go!"

"Y-y-y-y-y-you filthy INSECT!" Louise threw the whip away like it was a diseased coated object and went for the kick, only for the man to step aside causing her to hit nothing but air as she flips and landed on her back.

"Nah uh! Not this time, brat!" Farmer glanced at the quiet boy watching them and shook his head while gesturing at the fallen girl with his index. "You know what? Fuck it. We're going to have to start early on the talk. Don't give me that look, kid. She needs to learn some modesty if all of us are going to live together."

"But-" Saito began.

"Now!" Farmer snapped. "I'm not going to deal with this shit constantly if she's going to act like this every single-fucking-day! Shishak and Cutler can hear it later; we are starting this right NOW!"

The Japanese clammed up after letting out a puff of air and allowed the man to do his thing with a defeated wave of his hand.

"Now then," Farmer turned his attention to the boiling girl that stood with her clenched fists, "let's all take a seat and discuss things like civil beings, shall we?"

* * *

I wheeled the medical table over to act as my chair where Louise and Saito are at and sat down. The weight of my backpack did not bother me since I am used to carrying most of my gear around on long travels. Saito leaned against the wall near the queen-sized bed while the girl sat on the mattress, mustering her indecent glare as if it might make me reconsider my thoughts; fat chance that ain't happening.

"Alright, here's the thing," I started off slowly with arms crossed, "I heard from Saito that you said there's no way to take us back home, so the four of us are pretty much stuck in this world until otherwise."

"That is correct." She replied non-to-kindly. "The summoning ritual is only one way; there is no such thing as a reversal spell."

I nodded in understanding, "Okay, so that leaves us with you. By that, I mean there will have to be changes for us to get along. Unfortunately, you are not exactly quick or patient enough to understand our situation, so here is how things will go between us."

"You are my familiars and everything I say-" I cut her off before she could even finish that sentence about dominating us.

"Uh, yeah, that's the problem I want to address in this matter. The thing is we're not animals or slaves to your rules. We are people who can think for themselves and have managed to enter a situational conundrum where cooperation is a key to our survival, whether forced or agreed upon. Now, you seem like a smart person since the 'Nobles' are supposed to have the best education from my understanding, so all we're asking of you is to listen to what we have to say BEFORE opening your mouth to interrupt me." I emphasized the word, beating her to the punch again when she tried to jump in. Seriously, how is she going to learn to be nice if she keeps using the aristocrat card?

She managed another frown but fortunately kept quiet for now. I continued onward with my explanation.

"Look, just because we have the brand doesn't mean you own us. Like I said, we are not animals. You need to treat us like actual human beings, not a bunch of fucking house pets sleeping on straw beds. I could walk out that door right now without a care because I can take care of myself; the same with Cutler and Shishak since we all come from a harsh environment. The kid can choose to come with us and we'll teach him how to survive on his own. The only reason why I even bother to have this discussion with you is because Saito here wants to give you a chance." That and I was not about to leave all my shit here in untrusted hands.

"So, what I suggest is that we form a cooperative partnership to comprehend each other with no hassle." From the look on her face, she doesn't like where I am getting at, but at least we got that stubborn girl to listen just for once.

"And what is this 'partnership' you have in mind?" She asked with eyebrows furrowed.

"An exchange of deals, to be exact," I cleared my throat and began to count off our demands. "For starters, you don't tell us what to do. That means we are not responsible for your chores unless you ask us nicely, then we will decide if we want to or not. Number two is that you treat us respect, and in return we will respect you back. Number three, lastly, is trust. If we can't trust each other then things get much more soured as quickly as I can say 'Oh fuck' for all of us."

Louise wrinkled her nose at me, "Must you always use such vulgar language in all of your sentences?"

"Hey, we all have our own way of talking unless you want me to stop, which is on rule #2."

"He does have a point," Saito added, "at least you'll have your end of the bargain."

"Alright, let's wrap this up a bit." My head leaned toward her. "In exchange of our demands, we'll pretend to act as your familiar but only if you address your commands politely without acting like a total brat. We will also tell you of our world, experiences, and other stuff if you need help understanding or are curious about us; no secretive bullshit unless we don't feel comfortable sharing it. Thirdly, we will protect you at all cost unless you decide to charge into a dangerous fight like a headless chicken, then we can only protect you from yourself."

"Your proposal sounds reasonable enough for- Wait, what is 'Protecting me from myself' supposed to mean!?" She referred to the last part with an irate scowl.

"It means keeping a cool head and not putting yourself in danger on purpose for your damn pride." I pointed a finger at her. "Believe me, I've seen too many rookies talk the talk and end up dead because they got too cocky out in the field. You bluebloods are one example I've had face to face yesterday with that blond guy and his stupid rose twirling flirty antics."

"Oh, that is Guiche de Gramont 'The Bronze', and I know what you mean by his tendencies." The girl sent a deadpanned look at my direction. "He's a philandering idiot who can't keep a serious relationship. Just don't anger him and you should be good."

_At least that's something both of us can agree on. _

I reached over to rub the back of my neck with the right hand and gave a wry laugh, "The guy thought I was a golem with human features late at night; I'm pretty sure he certifies for it."

And man, I can't wait for him to fuck up soon…

Instead of laughing or showing any signs of amusement, only a bitter smile appeared, "He still thinks I faked the summoning, just like everyone else who looks down on me for not being able to cast magic."

"What, that explosive fireball from yesterday?" came my question. "Are you sure that doesn't count as magic? It seemed pretty magical to me when you casted it."

Her slim hands covered both of her eyes as a sign of frustration as she bowed her head to the floor in a display of shame and frustration.

"A commoner like you would not understand if I were to explain my own failures so simply." She muttered in a humiliated tone.

"Try me." I replied. "I'm very good at listening and we have some more time before everyone else wakes up, if my loudness didn't do the job first."

Louise looks up hesitantly and did not open her mouth for a while other than stare at me. Saito and I said nothing in return, acknowledging her issue to speak out as we waited for her to get comfortable. Looking at an angle, it doesn't look like she is ready to open up at this time but that'll end soon when something arises in the middle of our adventures.

Because everywhere in every world, adventure is what drives everyone to do something instead of staying in one spot for all eternity and rot for nothing.

. . .

. . .

. . .

"If you don't feel like talking about it now, then we can do it another time if you want. Also, do we have a deal?"

She nodded without a word, some of her nervous tension slowly going away, and got up from the bed to the dresser. Picking up her uniform, she turns to us and said in a low voice, "I would like some privacy, please. Wait outside for me."

That was our cue to leave now and let her change in peace while we waited in the hallway. The slightly revealing nightgown she got on made me think of what she might look like as an adult wearing it as we stood around. Kind of pervy, yes, but it's not like I'm into her at the current age she's in. The way she acted boggled my mind for some time during our talk, almost like she's 17 or somewhere near there. I don't know, maybe I'll ask her later about it.

"You know," Saito spoke with a concerning glance as he stood next to me on the opposite side, "I thought you were going to flip out and yell at her for being bossy, but you kind of surprised me when you said we should have a calm argument. Most people would've given up on her if they were in your position."

A lackadaisical wave was thrown at him while I gave a small yawn, "Ehh, it comes with the job. Getting too mad at small matters doesn't let you focus properly on scavenging. Such is life in the Zone."

He shook his head at me with an amused smile, "Again, you mention about this 'Zone' that I do not know of. What is the Zone, anyway?"

"Oh, it's a place where science happened, a large portion of the land got changed for better or worse, and people like us break through the border to get filthy rich; think of it as a hazardous occupation for the greedy or desperate."

"What's it like to be over there?" He asked.

"Harsh, dirty, stressful, and freaky as shit." The list of all the things I've faced came to mind. "The ecosystem there is dangerous, all the mutants are fugly, people are dicks, and having a gun doesn't even come close to being safe."

"That bad, I guess?"

"Oh, and I hardly see any chicks over there." I pointed out. "Which is both good and bad, I suppose."

"Why is that?" Saito wondered.

"Good that they're smart enough to stay away, bad if they get killed or worse. You would know what I mean by that last part." A small shiver ran down my spine.

. . .

"Oh…"

"Yes, _oh_. As in 'Oh shit, sex-depraved men' oh! You follow me?"

"Yes." The blush on his face shows his understanding.

"Good; seeing that we're in a medieval fantasy land, that type of low is probably common in the cities or around elsewhere as well." I cracked my knuckles a bit and noticed a certain redhead with her blouse slightly unbuttoned to allow a pair of partially exposed package to show stepping out of her room with that sexy stroll. Her pet overgrown lizard followed suit from behind and whipped its tail around to close the door.

Hm, yeah, I remember her, that bronze-skinned girl who took part in the summoning ritual and was also mocking pinky alongside everyone else. I'm guessing the way she's showing her hooters is for attention-seeking; definitely attention-seeking, mhm. No shame in her personality.

And she happens to be coming this way, no doubt to check us out. That seductive stare she's putting on says it all. Too bad for her, I'm not desperate for a bang.

"Heads up, Saito," I leaned over to the side and whispered to him, "trouble's coming our way."

"Huh?" He took one good look at the young beauty and his entire face soon went red for a very good reason. "O-o-oh…"

The tall redhead stopped in front of us and flaunted her well-endowed chest when she brushed over her bangs back with flair.

"So, Louise's familiars are on guard duty," She did a quick look over before continuing in that light husky tone that would make any lusty man go full retard, "but where's the rest of you? I wanted to see the handsome blond man that outdid The Bronze by his charming looks."

Oh shit, did she just say Shishak is prettier than that Guiche boy? Damn, I was right!

"He's not here." I told her in a bored, matter-of-fact voice, ignoring her pout. "The merc and him went out before us so I can't tell you where he's at. Is there something you want?"

"Straight to the point, I see." The redhead gave a sly smile masked by false shyness and walked closer to me. "Tell me, what is a man of your exotic class doing with a talentless girl like her?"

My head cocked a little at her comment, "Talentless? She seems to be doing a knack of a job keeping us in line."

That was partly a lie, of course. I just said that in order to get her thinking differently.

"Oh, is that so?" She then eyed the boy next to me, who nearly jumped when she got too close to him. "And what do you think of your master, boy?"

"I-I-I think she's doing a great job, like he said!" Saito stammered nervously, having to see a full view of her breasts. "D-don't you think so, Farmer?"

"Mhm." I gave my neck a slight crack. "Doing a good job at it, Saito."

That unconvinced look on her face said otherwise, "Really? Because I heard some yelling from her room along with your mocking laughter when I woke up from it and saw that it was barely morning. It didn't seem like you were getting along with her at all."

"Oh, you heard that?" I asked. "Well, uhh…" Shit, I can't think of anything else to say. "…you got me there."

"Hohohoho~! I knew it." Her boisterous laugh kind of reminded me of the bandits I tend to run into. "So tell me again, why are you allowing yourselves to be commanded under such a pitiful master when you could be serving me instead?"

"Because a Germanian barbarian like you would just use them for your own pleasure." Out comes a steaming Louise glaring daggers at the busty redhead. "What do you want, Kirche?"

That's her name, huh? Guess I don't need to ask then. Also, isn't that a German word for something?

"Ah, Louise the Zero, we meet again." Kirche greeted off-handedly. "I just wanted to see your familiars, but the other two are missing."

Louise shook her head once with a light frown, "They went off to explore."

Damn it, Louise. Why can't you lie like me? And what's with the title 'Zero' anyway?

"Ha! Leave it to the Zero for not keeping her familiars under reigned!" Kirche toss her head back for another short fanciful guffaw then bent down on her knee to rub the lizard's scaly head. "Isn't that right, Flame?"

I assume the walking fire hazard next to her is called 'Flame', since he's been staring at me funny for the past few minutes. Also, what kind of name is Flame? That sounds too original. Why not use badass names like 'Hotshot' or 'Blaze'? Or Dante? Wait, maybe she doesn't know that one.

"Grah!" The fire lizard growled out in response, its eyes still glued on to me as it trotted slowly forward.

What? Is there something on my face, you giant contradiction for a reptile?

I took a step back from it, but the thing still kept going toward my direction like I'm some interesting object or a tasty snack.

Damn it, why is it getting closer to me!?

. . .

Why is it rubbing its head against my leg!?

"Oh?" She took of the notice of the scene I was getting in and made a teasing smirk. "It seems my Flame has taken a liking for you. What is your name again that Louise mentioned? Farmer, is it?"

"Yes, you heard right." I stated, wary of catching on fire from her pet. "Everyone in my town calls me that."

Now it was Kirche's turn to cock her head at me, "What an odd name. What is the name of your town?"

Shit, I gotta think something quick.

"Kiev," I proclaimed, "largest town far from the kingdoms here; really far away and in the middle of a civil war." Which is technically true even though Kiev is a capital city and I happened to live in a cheap apartment there, much to my displeasure; I was lucky enough to jet out of there before shit got real with the civil war and all that. To be honest, I rather have an independent Ukraine than a Russian-controlled puppet government despite how corrupt our current one is. Better to deal with our own countrymen than the fucking russkies trying to take us over with their lies.

"Never heard of it," You probably shouldn't. It's bad enough as it is right now, "is it somewhere in the Sahara?"

"Yes!" Louise piped up with an impatient leer. "The town is right next to Rub Al Khali. Enough with your questions at my familiars already! I'm hungry as it is."

"Very well then, go take care of your needs even if you can't grow breasts like mine with all the food you stuff yourself." Kirche cooed with the briefest satisfaction before Louise yelled more hateful things at her in response. The result was pretty obvious.

The tall redhead gave us a wink and turned to the stairs with her blue-haired friend patiently waiting for the conversation to end; the lizard followed from behind after giving me another disturbing stare.

"Oh, and try not to make too much racket the next time you decide to go off your medicine, Sir Farmer." She called over her shoulder with much amusement.

What the hell does she mean by that? I wasn't on anything, from what I can remember.

There was a different book in the short girl's hand this time while she walked side-by-side with Kirche and a long wooden staff with a curled top in the other. If this doesn't give you that anime RPG feel, then I don't know what will.

Everything about this place feels wrong and I'm not talking about 13 year olds being married off to greasy fat guys in crowns kind of thing (wouldn't surprise me if they do it like their non-fantastical counterpart). No, the feeling I'm getting is that everything around me is too goddamn peaceful. I understand that we're in a private magical school where shit just pops out of nowhere with no logical explanation, however it is interpreted, but even with little miss pinkie's explosive personality (no pun intended) the atmosphere of easy luxury and bliss just gives me that uncomfortable itch like I want something big to happen; something worth of a challenge that the Zone gives us most of everyday just to get by and earn hard to get loot.

. . .

I want to go back to the Zone. I miss hearing the gunshots, the mutant growls, the background voices whispering…

…it's just not the same here.

Saito nudged my arm with that look of concern in his eyes again and gestured toward Louise strutting toward the same stairs.

"You're doing it again." He said to me. "Come on, Louise wants us to follow her."

"She always wants us to follow her," I casted an empty glance at the girl's back, "even if we're in agreement, bluebloods will be bluebloods."

"Are you sure you're alright?" The slightly worriment in his tone was comforting, but it did not ease my wariness. "You always get quiet most of the time and then act cryptic when you're awake."

My head shook at him as I gave him a small pat on the shoulder, "Just thinking about home, kid. Let's get going. We might meet Shishak and Cutler on the way if we're lucky."

I patted my Compact just to be sure one more time and then we went after the pinkette to whatever place she wanted us to go. I sure as hell don't feel like thinking about it for the time being.

On our way we found the green eyed blond without his usual ski mask on and his hood down, playing with his PDA while leaning against a white marble pillar. Need I remind myself that with all the infatuated looks coming from the passing female students along with A LOT of dirty glares thrown at him from the boys, it did seem like the pretty bandit trumped the two-timing Guiche in looks and unintentional roguish charms. Too bad nobody knows he'll probably steal their purses than their heart. Fucking bandits, I tell you.

As for Cutler, he was still nowhere to be seen. Maybe wandering around the perimeter still to find the best hiding location like any other sensible stalker would do. Speaking of hiding places, I still need to find one in order to stash my valuable loot. Somewhere that no one will bother to look for. An abandoned building or remote forest with a camouflage foxhole might do the job.

Looks like the bastard is too focused with his thing, might as well call him out to get his attention.

"There you are!" Or maybe not. "I was wondering where you have been!"

The shout directed at Shishak from Louise got him to snap his head at our direction. He stuffed the PDA into his coat pocket and waited for us to draw near before he joins in our group of three by walking with me and Saito.

"What did I miss?" He asked us, oblivious to the giggles of schoolgirls directed at him.

Saito noted the increasing popularity and gave a smile, "Farmer made a deal with Louise, so you will have to hear him out."

The bandit turned to me with a look of question, "What is this deal he is talking about?"

"It's a long story," I said, "but you and Cutler will like it; probably."

"Enlighten me, then." He replied and I nodded.

So, I explained to him about our current situation and how Louise is acting like a total brat and all, which he somewhat agreed, if not a bit hesitantly, which followed to my ultimatu- I mean, 'agreement' with her that we'll follow our part of the bargain if she goes along with what we want. And by 'we', I mean by what _I _want, which is still a 'we' since I added all of us. After I finished, he gave it some thought and finally nodded in understanding of my actions.

"That is good to hear, Small Farmer; very good to hear." Shishak allowed a devious smile to form on his face. "That gives me more freedom to steal those artifacts from you!"

"Yeah, sure, over my dead body, bastard!" I huffed back.

"Mwahahahahahaha!"

The kid raised a brow at the now cackling blond man as they reached a pair of giant doors where the noise of platter and boasting can be heard from, "Stealing his artifacts? Is this a joke you are making, Shishak-san?"

Louise rolled her eyes at the small bantering behind her as Shishak stopped his evil laugh and grinned at the boy next to me, "Ah, so you do not know of my profession, boy. I should let you know that I am a b-"

"Bartender." I blurted out, managing to cut him off before he could say 'bandit'. "He's a bartender who heard too many jokes from his customers and likes to pretend he's a thief. Of course he is pulling your leg!"

Shishak blinked at me in confusion, much like Saito's reaction, while I gave a quick shake of my head and flick it to a group of students exiting out of the grand entrance. Some of them gave us weird looks before making their way to whatever destination they have in mind. As we entered through the doorway, I quickly slapped the idiot's arm and leaned closer to him.

"Dumbass!" I harshly whispered. "Do you know what they do to those types of people here?! I thought you're supposed to be smarter than that!"

"I thought it was a job-"

"-That nobody fucking likes when they're about to be hanged for it!" I glanced around to see if anyone was paying attention to us before getting back to him. "This isn't the Zone, Shishak! Think carefully before you open your mouth! These people may be morons with magic, but they are not complete retards to know what a criminal is!"

That instantly made him shut up as we made our way to a long table where Louise waited beside a wooden chair. Following on cue, I pulled it for her then pushed it back in slightly after she sat down.

"Thank you, familiar." She replied gratefully, if not absent minded.

"It's Farmer, but close enough." I glance around for any signs of the dark-cladded mercenary, but still couldn't find him in here. Just where the hell is he?

Another good question is where the hell am I at this point?

Saving Shishak's hide left a bad taste in my mouth, but I'm not one to squander a good favor from a bandit leader by letting the law do its job by persecuting him. He could be useful in the future and he did say he always keep his words. I'll believe him when I see his actions in person.

And why did I call these people morons? Sure, they're not advance like us but it's not like they live in the dung ages. Maybe some part of Louise rubbed off on me or I've been spending time in the Zone under constant threat that I feel the need to justify it out of paranoia.

Or maybe I'm just an asshole depending on the current environment I'm in. A reactive jerk, that'll work.

. . .

GodIwanttogobacktotheZonesobadly.

"So," I started off, giving a low hum at the decorative interior surrounding us while we stood near the girl, "this is the dining hall, huh? It looks very nice from this angle we're at. The floors are glistening and the design just screams 'fabulous' here." Personally, it seems too nice for me to look at. Just being in here with a bunch of egotistical young teens makes me want to shoot up the place. A little explosion here, some bullets there; a badass makeover to fit the feel of a modern day Zone just waiting to be filled with stalkers.

I could tell pinky was beaming at my shot-over-the-head sarcasm as she spoke proudly, "The Alviss dining hall is certainly the grand jewel of our nobility. Consider yourself lucky that few, beside the serving staff, can even step foot upon this luxurious floor."

"I'll consider myself lucky when I get a kick-ass gun and a score of artifacts." I quipped and was about to pull an empty chair of my own until the pinkette stopped me in my track. "Now what?"

"Commoners aren't allowed to sit at the tables or take food reserved only for nobles." she explained. "You will have to find your own."

"Wow, really?" I took notice of most of the students around us casting contemptuous glares at us three like we didn't belong here. Some were nervous glances because of my mask while the rest didn't pay any sort of attention or just ignored us all the same.

Yeah, that's right, fear me! FEAR ME!

I gave an exasperated sigh and opted for the floor instead while setting the backpack by my side. Unzipping it, I took out two cans of Tourist Breakfast, three loaves of bread in a bag, two bottled water and a tall can of STALKER energy drink for me before passing out the loaves and water bottles to Saito and Shishak as they sat down with me in a small circle. I took out my trusty Swiss army knife that I had cleaned from yesterday night after stumbling upon that cute maid, finding a water source to clean the blade, and cut a slit on the side of the small bread then gave the knife to the kid as he followed my example. The knife was then passed to the bandit, who did the same, before picking up one of the Tourist Delights and jamming the blade down to open it.

"That thing has a can opener, you know." I informed him right when he was done opening the first can.

"Oh." Shishak placed the tin container down and fiddled with the Swiss army knife until he found it. "Too late now, let us stick with one thing and enjoy this breakfast."

"Let's." I said in mild agreement. "It's not fine cuisine but it will have to do."

Saito peered at the contents and saw one can filled with a paste like beef of sorts while the other that Shishak just opened held white meat that was either chicken or fish.

"What is this stuff?" He asked, watching the skinny blond scooping his fill in.

Overhearing the conversation behind her, Louise turned around for a second to see what they were doing and saw an odd feast to behold.

"Mystery Meat and Tuna Salad, take your pick." My hand reached around the back of my head to unfasten the gas mask and then clipped it to my belt, showing only my mouth again. "Don't worry, they're not expired yet. I think…"

Saito looked skeptical at the canned goods for a brief moment, but shrugged at the potentially harmful morsel when his stomach growled in protest and took the knife from Shishak with a quiet "thanks". He scooped what appears to be tuna to him, spreading the contents in a tight pattern then gave back the Swiss army knife to me and took a bite from his sandwich.

"Hmm! Not bad at all."

"Delicious." The bandit added after scarfing down a large bitten chunk.

"Tell me about it," I emptied out the leftovers and shoveled them into my bread, wiping the blade clean with my tongue, and dug in like a starving animal. In the background, I heard a few disgusted murmurs of "filthy savage" and "rude commoner" nearby, but I could care less about their opinion. Besides, I'm bored and making fun of pinky gets old pretty quickly. Pissing off the people here would satisfy me, if I don't get fireball'd or turned into a newt in the next few seconds by an overzealous mage.

Crumbs were littered all over the clean floors as I took another huge bite out of my simple-combo meal that brought an interesting mixed taste to my buds. The two in front of me made sure not to make a huge mess, with Saito frowning slightly at mine.

"The maids will have to clean that up soon, so wouldn't it be more polite to create less hassle for them?"

"I don't carry plates with me, but I see what you mean." In a small form of realization, my free hand gathered the bits of bread to form it into a small pile and transferred many pinches of them to my front pocket on the tactical vest.

"I like to feed the birds." came my quick interjection between bites, quieting their obvious question at my strange behavior. Half of it was true; the other half was catching my own mutant raven back in the Zone as a pet. Nothing like Noah's four legged terror, fortunately.

Shishak finished his meal and uncapped the water bottle to take a short gulp while the kid took a couple sips from his to make swallowing easier because of how doughy the bread was. I open my canned drink and chug down the flavor of cherry induced caffeine into my system before letting a satisfied gasp of energy. Good stuff, I tell you, but make me crash like shit if I don't take it easy.

"You know," I pointed at the empty spot that formed the middle, "all we need now is a campfire and everything will be just like home. Only thing missing are the mutants and music."

I still have the harmonica on me, but I'd rather practice using it when I have the spare time.

Speaking of which, when does that girl's class start anyway? I want to explore this place if familiars aren't allowed in classrooms.

Finishing my rather tasty meal, I turn my head around to see Louise and the rest of students getting up from their seats just in time for me to know that it was probably close to their next course of schedule right now.

"Come along, familiars," Louise still used that commanding tone from last time as she walks toward the exit, "it is time for us to leave. Follow your master, _please_." The last word sounded a bit forced, but it was an improvement that left me with a good feeling showing my talk with her was catching on.

"Gotcha." I cleaned up the mess by taking out a paper bag from the pack and collected the emptied food cans and lids in them. I figured saving the metals for something like an improvised container would do me some good if I ever needed to store small stuff; have to clean them out first, though.

Shishak got up, along with Saito, with half-emptied bottles in their hand and followed her wordlessly while I grabbed my bag and trailed behind with the rest of students making their leave.

I wonder what sort of class we might be heading into for today.

* * *

The double door entrance to the headmaster's office suddenly burst open, revealing a frantic Colbert clinging onto a musty book in one hand as he was about to spread his new founded discovery to the person in charge of the academy.

"Excuse me, Old Osmond! I require your-" The balding professor stopped in mid-sentence when he saw the most out-of-place scene that left him nearly speechless.

"Ahh-ah… erm…"

In front of him, lies the crumpled headmaster having a face-first meeting with the floor while his secretary is seen pressing her foot against one of Osmond's hips. Standing there on the side watching was one of the student's familiars that he recognized immediately right after he barged inside the room with his news in mind.

"Is this a bad time…?" Colbert felt a drop of sweat sliding down his cheekbone at the bizarre sight as he pointed to the door. "…I can always come back after-"

"No, not at all!" The woman with the vibrant green hair and narrow spectacles exclaimed in a cheerful manner, stepping off the wizened sage. "Old Osmond said his hips were starting to hurt, so he asked me to give him a massage! Managing his health is also part of my job, you know."

A small cough that almost sounded satirical was heard from the other man standing at attention. Colbert could not help but noticed that it held a strict military formality in his stance while the person-of-interest kept his steel gaze on them, taking care to glance around the room once in a while.

"Err… I see…" Came his flustered reply, turning his eyes away from the motionless familiar. "Well, I guess that make sense."

"Of course it does!" The headmaster jumped back to his feet while the secretary returned to her post, showing no signs of early pain as he walked to his desk and sat in the comfy chair before signaling him to speak. "Now, what is it?"

"Oh, yes, right. I might have found something that would greatly interest you." Professor Colbert laid the opened tome on the desk and flipped through the pages until he stopped at a specific spot that he wanted him to see. "Right here, where the drawing is shown on this section."

Old Osmond picked up the small book and gave a brief look over while raising a bushy brow at the content before setting it down, "Hmmmm… This is the Familiars of the Founder Brimir, is it not? I see you're still nosing around old literatures like these."

"Err… That and you should see this." The professor handed him a few sheets of notes that held some legible scribbling along with finely detailed sketches of each left hand showing the same symbols on the book.

"These runes are unfamiliar to me," The headmaster said, doing a double-take by comparing each hand drawn portraits on the note with the one on the book, "unless…"

"…They are the exact runes that have appeared just recently after the summoning rite was complete." Colbert muttered musingly.

This made Old Osmond pause for a few seconds as he casted a glance at the evidence lying on the desk, before sharply veering his eyes to the busy secretary organizing the paperwork.

"I'm sorry, Miss. Longueville, but could you excuse us for a moment while we have a moment of privacy with Mr… uhhh…?"

"It's Colbert!" He deadpanned.

"Right, Mr. Colbert."

The secretary known by her called name gave a short nod and got up to leave the room, but not before shifting her eyes to catch a quick glimpse at the strange familiar then left through the door.

"That goes for you, as well, Sir…"

"Cutler will do just fine." The quiet man followed the secretary out the same way and closed the door behind him.

"What a very strange fellow he is…" The headmaster strokes his beard mystically after he was sure there were no unwanted ears in the room. Colbert casted a Tranquility spell to make sure their conversation was muted before turning to the old man. "…almost reminds me of someone. Hmph, it's probably nothing. So, what can you tell me about these runes, Colbert?"

Outside the office, Miss. Longueville stood close to the entrance trying to listen on any details that may have slipped, but sighed in defeat when she realized a spell of Tranquility had been casted to keep anyone from eavesdropping.

She could cast a small counteractive to bypass it, but that would expose her intentions in front of the oddly dressed soldier, if that is his profession, waiting on the opposite side of the wall with hands behind his back.

This man, Cutler, seems to hold a form of discipline judging from the way he kept staring at the empty spot next to her. He wore a tight fitting hood that looks to be wrapped around from the head to the neck, leaving only his stoic face to show. She could not help but notice how rigid his expression was, taking care not to show any signs that he was being watched by her.

Despite how attractive he looked from his face only, there is something about this person that kept the secretary from fully looking at him. The coldness he gave off sent a subtle chill running down Longueville's spine, as if he was studying her in return and is contemplating something she would not want to know. It didn't help her nerves much when she saw how tense Cutler's body is, as if he was ready for action at any time.

As if he was ready to kill.

This man… she could not tell exactly, but there is something clearly off about him that made her want to get as far away from him as possible if something were to happen.

The woman could only hope she was faster than him before he could reach her.

* * *

"…And, of course, it has to involve magic in the curriculum." Farmer stated the obvious to no one but himself, earning the man a few odd stares from where he was seated at. "Gee, I wonder what we'll be learning today."

A faint irritated groan escaped from an equally irritated Louise seated right next to him, with Saito on her left and Shishak idling at the back of the large room after some of the students complained about the burnt smell from his clothes. Being himself, his attention toward the insults was less important than staring quietly at his PDA.

"I think having him sit next to you was a bad idea in the first place." Saito remarked with a witty smirk.

"That is to remedy your perverted behavior from his disgusting joke when I caught you peeking up skirts like a dog!" She bit back with much needed steel. "Now be silent, class is about to start."

Before the stalker could add in his comment by stating how it was her fault for starting it, a short middle aged woman with brown hair in a stereotypical black and purple magician robe outfit, completed with a pointed hat, strode into the auditorium from another door near the platform to address her presence in front of the students.

"Good morning, students. I am Professor Chevreuse, recently acquainted in the Tristain Academy of Magic, and today we shall learn about the five aspects of the elements." The teacher announced in a portly manner, catching their full attention to her.

"_Hoo-ray_." The stalker muttered, earning him a quick "Shush" from the nearly crossed pinkette.

Saito could only shake his head at the act of immaturity his adult friend was displaying. _This ought to be good._

During this time the professor explained the concept of the elemental magic, going over each of them with great lengths, especially addressing the importance of the earth elements and how it was used as a main building block of what their large society is today.

At some point, it was interesting to listen as she went on about the use of each element and their functions, but it soon became very dull to hear in a short time, not barring the mentioning of the lost element known as 'Void'.

Saito felt like he could not get anything important out of this class to the moment where he was about to fall asleep, seeing that Farmer wasn't faring any better due to the fact that he was staring off dumbly at an empty space with a slacked jaw hanging out.

One wonders what he was thinking of this class besides resisting the urge to loudly point out how boring it was for him to stay here and do nothing instead of doing his own thing.

_I wish had my laptop with me right now_, Saito thought pleasantly, _it would've helped me pass the time without guessing it._ _Too bad it's still broken even if I managed to bring it with me to this strange new world._

It wasn't until then, that things got a little more interesting for both of them when Professor Chevreuse laid out a row of three white rocks on the wooden desk and begin her demonstration on something called 'Transmutation'.

"Now, pay very close attention to what I am about to do." She gently raised her wand in the air over them. "Please observe closely, for I will cast a transmutation spell on this rock on this desk!"

A small chant later, the three rocks were soon bathed in a short glow of white light before changing into a different texture of a glistening color that resembled soft metal. Some of the students went off in hushed voices at the spectacular sight while Farmer perked up from his seat, staring intensely at the transformed rocks. Behind the rest of them, even Shishak took his eyes off the small screen to see what was going on and gaped in stupor at what he just saw.

"_Amazing!_"

"Fascinating!"

"_Holy shit_, is that…?"

"Is… is that real gold!?" Kirche exclaimed in an excited tone a couple desks above Farmer.

Almost everyone was ecstatic at the sight of precious metal before Chevreuse finally calmed them down by pointing out that, "It's actually brass, which is an alloy of iron and zinc."

Immediately, the tall redhead sat down with disappointment all over her face while the rest went quiet and continued to listen to the given lecture.

Saito took a small glance at the light blue/white-cladded stalker and noticed that he was still paying close attention at the finished demonstration with a serious frown on the lower half of his face. Not an hour ago, the man made it clear in his posture that staying in this class was a complete waste of time until he saw the transmutation in progress. Now his body was upright and rigid as if this long lesson mattered to him to begin with.

The way he sat there sharply made the boy think that he was on to something, adding a resource to a plan unknown to Saito. It looked like he saw something that none of them thought about and was going to take full advantage of it in the near future, but what is he actually thinking about that made him so tense?

"Enjoying the show?" Louise quipped dryly. "First you don't want to be here, and now you're awfully interested in a simple transmutation spell."

A small wave was sent her way, "Shush, I'm learning right now."

Normally, this brash disrespect would've greatly upset a noble like her, but what surprised Saito was that she took in stride and sent a narrowed glance at the unknown stalker before switching her attention to the lecture. For a loud aristocrat of a cute girl, she sure is getting used to his weird antics, if not slowly.

"So, found anything good yet, Farmer?" He asked.

All he received was a unison "Shh!" for his troubles.

"Now, I would like someone else to demonstrate the spell for us." Professor Chevreuse panned around the audience and called out a name, "Miss Valliere? Please cease small talks with your interesting familiars and transmute this rock I have in front of me."

This managed to rile up all of the students into sheer panic the moment they heard those words were directed at the pinkette as she got up and went to the short podium. Some ducked under the desks while others tried to get as far away from her by joining Shishak, even if the smell was intolerable. The blue haired mage with the book walked out of the room without a word and some followed her example to wait out what ever unforeseen consequences that Saito and the two stalkers had no idea what was coming.

"Oh Brimir, not again!"

"Please don't make her do it!" Someone cried out.

"Uh-hum…" Farmer took a brief look around the room and noted the apprehensive expressions lingering on their faces. "Hmmmm…. Yeah, I don't know what the hell is going on. Can someone fill me in on the current situation here?"

"Beside the fact that you should be hiding somewhere safe right now?" Kirche stated flatly underneath her table. "See for yourself."

"Duly noted." He obliged without any argument and got under the wooden cover. "Kid, I suggest you do the same like everyone else if things are getting serious."

Saito took a quick look at the diligent, if not slightly miffed, Louise and the confused professor before making his decision to follow along with the advice given to him.

Back on the stage, Louise held her wand out in a ready position and started to recite the spell in a different set of words that made no sense. She then waves the magical instrument over the large ball of rock, finishing the chant by announcing the word "Earth!" in a dramatic fashion that cause it to glow the same pure white from the last show. It held on for a couple seconds before releasing an absurd amount of energy from within into a high external force that left the entire room in a mess of flipped down furniture and black soot.

In short, a bigger explosion.

* * *

"So…. You make things explode." The last bit of soot was finally cleaned off my armor, again.

It was the middle of lunchtime after the abrupt end of class when our 'master' caused an explosion that almost rivaled the pressure of a C4 in a contained room, leaving us to toil for a couple hours of putting back flipped desks and scrubbing the floors. Earlier, when the stout version of McGonagall woke up from her mild (?) concussive unconsciousness, she made Louise stay back to clean up the mess while the rest of the students went to eat.

This led to Louise unconsciously ordering US to clean up her mess to begin with. Naturally, I got pissed at her for forgetting our deal when the professor left out of earshot range and clearly reminded her that it is our choice to decide whether or not we will oblige. Not wanting to miss her luncheon, she asked us in the most respecting tone to assist her in tidying the room up. After much teasing from me, all of us agreed and quickly went to work as I have other plans to use my free time.

"I don't want to talk about it!" Pinky quickly snapped at me in an attempt to oust any questions that I wanted to ask. But, being me, it did not deter my curiosity to prod further. "Now let me eat my lunch in peace!"

"C'mon," I tried again, "what's your secret? I want to blow shit up with my mind too."

"There is no secret!" She seethed, turning around with a nasty glare.

I was not convinced by her angry outburst one bit. It's likely that she is hiding something from us and isn't too keen on sharing it because of reasons varying from embarrassment to unintentional exposure of her badass powers that might be.

"Please?" I begged in the most obnoxious tone I could muster. "Pretty please?"

"NO." Bah. You always have to suck the fun out of everything, girly.

Both of my hands were thrown up in the air out of minor frustration, "Oh, fine. You win this time, but mark my words! I WILL learn your psychic powers sooner or later."

Louise managed an annoyed shake from her head and went back to eating, "Whatever that is. It's not what you think I have."

What the hell is that supposed to mean? All I want is some brainpower to even the playing field with those fucking Burers and Controllers. Meh, screw it. If she doesn't want to teach me the ways of explosions, then I'll just have to find another method to get it.

Now, how do I make grenades?

Having to be bored as usual from the lack of excitement around me, I got up to do some wandering around while leaving behind the bandit and the boy to their own device. Well, just the bandit since Saito wanted to tag along for the same reason. I didn't want to stick around in this stainless mess hall made for the rich kids. All they do is talk and gossip about glorified bravados and how they planned to be successful in the future by owning countless businesses to rake in the profits.

Sounds extremely boring, if you asked me about my opinion; these kids have no hard work and imagination in their background. Sure, they'll get what they want but it will just be them sucking money from mommy and daddy's large bank account if that's their plan for success. And worse of all, they won't even have to lift a finger since magic is their equivalent of the easy button. In my days inside the Zone I have to loot, deal, and somewhat unintentionally kill the right people for an artifact or a shiny hardware to get by.

I won't even spare my pity to any of them if they squander it all at a later time. If they fail, then they can either pick themselves up or expect jack shit from their clique. Nobody here, much like where I come from, would help someone in need out of selfless kindness. Society only cares for the resources they bring, not the value of individually they hold. No matter how famous they are or the status they hold, reality will always get them.

And that's coming from a man who lives a shitty life in a shitty apartment. That will change soon enough once I save up a motherlode of artifacts and live a life the way I want to it to be. But first, I have to figure out how to make my living here and find a way off this alternate rock.

Right in front of our sights the perky black-haired, blue eyed maid that strangely shares a similar skin tone like Saito from yesterday was busily catering to the snob-nosed aristobrats with her humble front as she went by the rows of tables to deliver their food.

Man, I should be saving my supplies and eat their fancy stuff here but the whole commoner restriction bullshit is really wearing me down. Compared to the amount of food those mage's familiar get, I'm starting to wonder if the non-magic people ever get a decent scrap to sustain themselves at all.

Now, what is that girl's name again?

Salsa? Sally? Sopa?

Urgh, I can never get those Spanish names right!

Saito called out and sent a wave at the cute servant girl, this time, punching my arm lightly to make sure I was awake to greet her properly when we stopped a few feet away, "Hey Siesta, long time no see! It's good to see you again!"

Oh, so that's her name.

"Hello Siesta." I waved as well, albeit awkwardly. "Glad to see another friendly face around here once in a while."

"Oh, you remember my name?" Uh, duh, yes… well, the boy remembers it. "A-ah, yes, it is good to see the both of you, too!" She then waves back to us after placing the last dish on the table.

We met up closer and away from the busy crowds to chat more of our day and such, with Saito bringing up about yesterday when we first met her.

"I would like to thank you again for helping us with the laundry from last night, Siesta." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and I saw the faint signs of red slowly forming again. "I didn't have a clue on where to begin, honestly."

"O-o-oh, it's alright. I'm glad to help out, Saito." Siesta managed a meek answer.

I'm guessing she's not used to having complete strangers complimenting her. Seeing that kind of thing before in the Zone, it was not surprising or hard to know if I was talking to a woman stalker in disguise. Of course, some of the stalkers I have met in the past were actually men with few feminine traits, thus mistaking them for chicks.

Then again, I've always thought Shishak was someone with ratty features, not a girly face that could get the most attention from any passing female within his boundary. I guess life can surprise you on some days.

I gave the maid a short nod of gratitude, despite knowing how to wash clothes in the first place, but nonetheless nodded anyway. "Yes, your assistance was deeply appreciated. I, too, had some trouble with the way of the clothes washing." Okay, that sounded too stiff and unrealistic for a white lie; I might as well ask her to teach me Kung Fu lessons while we're at it.

Luckily for me, she didn't catch on and gave a slight head tilt at my weird answer, "Forgive my impertinence, but are you feeling well, Sir Farmer? You seem to be a bit… off."

Believe me, young lady; 'off' wouldn't come close to being the correct word that I have in mind if you knew where I was at before arriving here. Along with that, I wish you stop calling me 'sir' every time; I feel old whenever she address me with it.

"Yeah," the boy joined in, "you were acting all weird after we met her, and that's excluding the times you did them on purpose."

"What are you talking about?" I prompted.

"You know… like when you took a white sheet off the clothesline and pretended to be a ghost while complaining about not throwing things with your mind?"

I shook at my head, "I don't remember doing that."

"Or when you thought someone was watching us and you kept muttering about 'Bloodsuckers everywhere'?" Siesta added.

"Nope."

"Or when we got outside to the courtyard and you started screaming at the top of your lungs about praising 'the Zone' among other things?" Saito almost made a cheeky face, but restrained himself from letting a snicker out at my cluelessness.

. . .

. . .

"Are you sure I did _all_ of that yesterday?" I frowned lightly.

"Yes!" They said in unison.

Huh…

I don't exactly recall doing any of those from last night. I wasn't drinking anything or got high from weed.

So, what did I do anyway?

* * *

_What actually happened prior to last night… _

"COME ON!" The partially deranged stalker shouted hoarsely on his knees and raised both of his arms to the air. "**COME ON!** WHERE THE FUCK ARE THE EMISSIONS?! WHY IS EVERYTHING SO GODDAMN QUIET HERE!?"

"U—uhhh, you're making too much noise, Sir Farmer!" The young maid tried to calm him down in a hush, frantic tone without much success. "Please, refrain yourself or you will wake everyone up!"

Farmer paid no mind to her warning and continued to shout at the empty sky, oblivious to the other noise of complaints coming out of the dormitory towers around him.

"I JUST WANT SOMETHING TO TRY AND KILL ME! **PLEASE!** JUST THIS ONCE!"

"If he doesn't keep it quiet, someone will definitely come out to kill us." Saito muttered, attempting to snap his delusional friend from his stupor. "Farmer, dude, you're not making any sense! Just calm down and we'll try to help you the best we can."

He heard the man sniff loudly and saw his shoulders slumped as Farmer look down in hopelessness, "It's just not the same here!"

"What is not the same here?" Siesta asked him in a comforting voice.

"This," his right arm swept at the area in front of him, "is nothing like the Zone. How am I going to get artifacts without the anomalies!? Why is it so peaceful here?!" Farmer broke down into heavy sobs from the lack action. "W-w-w-w-wh-h-here are t-the assholes shooting at me!?"

The boy gave a large sigh and shook his head in pity, "I guess he really misses his home."

"Are there more people like him?" The maid asked. "I've never seen treasure hunters dressed in weird armor much like his."

"It's a very long story." he pinched between the chambers of his nose. "Even I don't know a lot about him or the other two that came along. He's not really open about the topic of his life."

"I see…" she mused, ignoring the constant sobbing in the background. "…where he come from must be very important to him."

Saito gave a brief shrug, "No doubt about it. He did mention that his town depended on technology. Other than that, all I know is that he doesn't like magic and titles don't mean anything to him."

"Is that so?" Siesta pondered. "The head chef would most likely get along with Sir Farmer with their similar dislikes for mages."

A long agonizing moan erupted from the half-crazed man before ending it with an outburst of, "**PRAISE THE ZONE!**"

Both of them backed away slowly from him as he gasped for air, continuing his mad rant about artifacts and a bucket of fried drumsticks, not wanting to risk themselves out of growing fear if he decided to go violent at any time.

"What is this 'Zone' he keeps mentioning about?" The trembling maid whispered closely to Saito.

He shook his head once more and sighed heavily, "I have no clue. You might have to ask those other people that came with him. Asking him is probably… bad for your health."

"**CHEEKI BREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!**" Farmer howled at the twin moons and then fell flatly to the ground seconds later, snoring away in blissful loudness for anyone nearby to hear.

. . .

"Zzzzz… Zzzzz... Hrrrk! Zzzzz…."

"We should get him out of here before someone decides to investigate."

She nodded to the young man, "I couldn't agree more."

* * *

_Currently…_

"Are you sure you haven't been going through my stash, kid?" I inspected his eyes for the usual signs of throbbing veins from a short distance, but saw nothing out of the usual. "Because the stuff I usually smoke is frickin' potent and I haven't had a blunt from yesterday."

Saito solemnly shook his head with an annoyed look, "I was with you and Siesta the _whole_ time. Plus, I would never do drugs, ever."

"Alright, I'm just making sure." I gave him a small pat on the shoulder in reassurance. "You're a smart boy, so I know you wouldn't do anything like that."

"Coming from a pothead, I'm not deeply surprised." He smirked.

Oh snap, son!

"Wow, really; that kind of burn coming from you, huh?" I retorted in false grimace.

He nodded with the same smugness plastered all over his face, "Yes, really."

Fine, two can play at this game.

"You know, I didn't think you were into maid outfits." My right hand rubbed the back of my head while keeping a cool tone. "Until I saw that redness in your face."

Judging from that sudden look of agitation on him, he knew where I was heading to.

"I-I don't know what you mean by that." He tried to keep his innocent façade from breaking down, with Siesta standing by confused. "You must be seeing things right before that incident."

The same hand was then placed under my chin as I went into a thinking pose, "Hmm, I don't know, your eyes was a bit lower when we first met her. Don't tell me you were actually checking her out, were you?"

"I-I-I-I-I…" Hah, got you now. "…W-wait, I couldn't see your eyes! How do I know _you_ weren't checking her out?!" Shit.

"U-uh…" The maid felt a tad bit uncomfortable being in the middle of our inside joke. "…What are you two talking about?"

"Oh nothing, besides the fact that Saito is as slow as a turtle!" I rapidly countered with much needed ham. Needless to say, this did not bode well with him.

"Who are you calling slow!? At least I'm not dressed up like one!" The boy bit back with eyes flared.

"Oh, please! I have to drop hints in order for you to get the jokes I tell!" Came my swift reply. "I might as well tell you the entire thing just to make it easy for me."

Saito gritted his teeth slightly and shot back with, "At least I'm not a crazed gunman like you!"

"Oh, oh! You did NOT just go there!" Now it's serious business. "One is a job and the other is mental sickness!"

"Yeah, tell that to the others when you're done with your daily spazzing in front of them." He snorted.

Ouch, burn!

"Well, if you're so goddamn brilliant, then how come you don't own a humongous mecha, huh!?" Yes, that was deliberate. Sue me.

And boy, was his face torn between getting pissed at my racist comeback or laughing at it.

"You know what; you are a retarded Koopa Troopa!"

"And your blond, spikey haired idol is an emo faggot!"

"Hey!" Someone at the tables complained. "We're trying to eat here! Go take your argument elsewhere, insolent fools!"

"**SHUT UP, FATTY!** **NO ONE LIKES YOU!**" I roared back, pointing at the now (angrily?) trembling pudgy short kid with the single curled blond hair. "DON'T MAKE ME COME OVER THERE!"

Before things manage to escalate further, Siesta cut in between us with a look of worriment and was nearly in tears in wanting us to stop, "Please! Let us not bicker at each other so pointlessly! Can we not all get along?" And not piss off the nobles anymore, stopping my fun?

If it weren't for the display of cuteness in her pleading voice, I would've ignored her entirely just for the sake of prolonging the argument out of the lack of entertainment. Plus, arguing helps improve your persuasive skills and vocabulary so you can make a better point in other future bitchfests. Ain't life grand?

"Okay, okay!" I held my hands up to her in show of cooperation and to make her not cry. "We're stopping, see?" God, I'm so weak against helpless women. Shooting douchebags in the face is easier without feeling guilty than making a cutie like her cry her eyes out. Sad feelings can make a hardened person like me go all mushy at the sight of feminine distress.

Shishak doesn't count, though. He's just a pretty boy. Coupled with his semi-professional banditry, I wouldn't feel a smidgen of remorse in killing him even if he turned into a woman.

. . .

Then again, I'm not completely innocent of any wrong doing either if I could count the times that I've ambushed military patrols for their guns, ammo, and other goodies. Technically, they were ordered to shoot all illegal stalkers on sight in the past so I had no problem taking the fight to them with a silenced Viper 5 and a bandolier of grenades to boot.

Almost got my ass killed one time when I had a sudden crazy notion to raid the military checkpoint base alone, but it paid off with nearly all my ammunition expended and a couple bullet lodged in my right calf and left arm. A quick limp to the village afterwards along with a few days of recovery and I was fresh for another stalk; can't say much for those dead bastards littered all over the small guard post after I looted their corpses.

Wanting to be a gentleman as well, Saito also caved in to her request compliantly with a shaky grin, "Ah, sorry, sorry! It won't happen again!"

Seeing that we weren't going to cause another upstart at each other, she instantly switched back into her chirpy self once more, "We should not disturb the nobles any further while they dine."

Too late, I'm getting a lot of disgruntled looks from the blue bloods. Something tells me I need to pull an excuse out of my ass to avoid a highly possible conflict that involves getting incinerated or worse.

"Hey, uh, Siesta, we kind of owe you for helping us out last night, so why don't we return the favor and give you a hand with whatever you need to do in return?" Good bait, now she won't be able to say no to us because it's the truth. Half a truth, but who gives a shit?

"Oh no, that won't be necessary!" She protested.

Yeah, no.

"Nononono, I insist." I replied hastily, eyeballing the room filled with livid magical teenagers, excluding Louise who was trying to make herself less noticeable, ready to set their wands upon us. "Seriously, we owe you one. Just take it, you won't regret a thing."

Even though the kid wasn't fast enough to catch on the hostile environment, he went along with me thinking that I was trying to be nice, "I agree with him on this one."

The humble maid gave it some thought when she looked at us and beamed a heartfelt smile before giving a nod. "Well, we are about to deliver the dessert course, so it wouldn't hurt us if you would kindly assist me in passing them out."

Hook, line, and sinker.

"Then we're all in agreement." I exclaimed. "Let's get to it!"

Siesta motioned us to follow her to the kitchen, to which I gladly complied without any complaints with Saito in tow. When we got to the entrance she told us to wait while she brings out the dessert cart for me to push around, leaving her and Saito to handle the distribution of the cream puffs and other assorted cakes. Although I wanted to try a sample, the words of warning from Louise came to mind and I had to curb the urge to snatch a pastry in case no one was looking. Spitting on them almost came through, but I didn't want to see good food wasted if I get caught.

I hope they choke on it, those lazy brats.

"You seem crossed, Sir Farmer." She noted my deep frown as we went on the first round.

"Doesn't seem like anyone is taking our work with much consideration," I sniffed, "makes you wonder if they even appreciate the high-class service, instead of expecting it. Also, just call me Farmer. The added 'sir' at the beginning makes me feel old."

"My apologies, Farmer."

"You don't need to apologize. I just think it's unnecessary to address me with the respect that I haven't properly earned yet." I mentioned to her, shuffling along the aisles.

"Why do you say that?" Saito piped up.

I shook my head, "Best for me not to explain it around this crowd, you know what I mean?" Besides, I already got them riled up too much.

Both of them said nothing, understanding what I meant by the miffed/nervous young mages around us.

We still went through each table, handling the cream puffs in silence aside from the maid's routine formal greetings as she gave the ordering students their dessert with a pair of small metal tongs.

. . .

. . .

. . .

I never looked at myself as the sentimental type, but I guess the life as a stalker can change you through countless hardships and the need to survive when you have to deal violence with greater violence. No one said being a stalker would be easy on the long run. If any of the kids here were in my shoes, they might as well kiss their wands goodbye when mutants or bandits come to greet them.

. . .

Although, I'm not one to shy away from any advantages with the hocus pocus just as long it does not make me entirely lazy. Maybe an underground base or a tree house if it requires that much labor.

Or maybe I can build myself a hut in the neck of the woods with an underground system for crafting needs and storage. Guerillas have done it before, and I heard about some Diggers in Garbage making a hidey-hole base out of the junk piles. Someone with creativity like me should be able to figure it out.

Only problem for me is to find the one earth mage that is not a total dickwad and charge high prices for use of their excavation services, if the rain doesn't hamper the progress by softening the dirt or causing the nearly complete bunker to collapse. Other alternative is to get a shovel and just stick with digging holes for hiding stashes. The simple choice would be going with scattered stashes than building a base where the risk of discovery is high and all my good shit is taken.

Yeah, I'll just stick with the good ol' fashioned stashes and make a map so that I don't forget. It's less hassle and easier to deal with. Just have to find a way to preserve it so nature doesn't muck it up.

The smooth rattling from the small wheels continues to squeak with little noise, clatters of food utensils still clicked against the ceramic plates used by the students of various ages. My hand held a vice grip on the handle as my movement stayed steady, but not too relaxed. The leers I've been getting have loosened up after a few minutes had passed, and still I could not shake the uneasiness out of my head.

Has my stay in the Zone gotten me addicted to its vastly dangerous, but mysteriously beautiful environment that my only stability is to live within it? I don't think so. It's only been two years of exploration and hiding and I still want to go back to the big lands rich. Or perhaps, it's this land itself that is driving me wary and twitchy?

Or maybe I just need a blunt. Spending time in the Zone tweaked my personality with a few hostile tendencies added, but I'm still me. The lack of stress is probably why I feel bored out of my skull because there is no action going around that forces me in every time. I am tense because there is nothing to be tensed about and the lack of tenseness is what makes an experienced stalker like me afraid since there is no one to shoot back at to justify my reason.

The front view of Siesta's covered rear as she bent down to pick up a small glass vial didn't even spark any arousal that I should be feeling right now. Though, I have to admit, having tinted combat goggles attached to the helmet does give a nice perk when you're staring at a young woman's behind. Doesn't help that Saito pointed it out earlier ago, that smartass.

Speaking of behind, who are these people at the round table?

"You have no idea how a handsome noble such as I can be so fortunate in having immaculate looks that will make fair maidens swoon over me." Oh fuck, not this guy again…

"Hah! You're still playing that game, Guiche? Aren't you supposed to be with your fiancée?" One of his friends chuckled at him. "You know how angry she will get if she finds out that you're flirting with a first year."

"Why, I have no idea what you gentlemen are speaking of." Guiche stood on his chair with dramatic pose filled with romantic passion, holding his rose wand up in the air. "It is not me who is at fault for being so grossly incandescent toward the flowing petals of beauty."

What a load of shit.

"I'm starting to get that bad vibe from him already." Saito murmured next to me.

Already ahead of you, buddy.

"Excuse me," Siesta offered the vial to the boasting blond before he could let another passionate speech that makes me want to shoot him, "I believe you've dropped this on the floor, young master."

"Nonsense," The mage spoke out in gusto without a glance, much to the cringing in my head, "it clearly does not belong to me!"

"But I saw it fell out of your pocket, sir." She said.

The slightest twitch coming from him as he jumped down told me that Guiche was clearly lying and is trying to deny the evidence that would further incriminate him, if not for one of his buddies pointing out something that got him busted right away.

"Hey, Guiche, isn't that the perfume made by Montmorency?" Fatty the curly blond questioned him, trying his best to ignore me.

"Yeah, I saw you handing them out to that first year girl. Only Montmorency gives away her concocted perfume to people she's close to." Heh, he's in for it now.

"I told you already, it's not mi-"

"Guiche, what is going on?" The same brown haired girl that I saw from last night stepped in, her quivering eyes showing the heartbroken sadness that is about to come. "I thought you loved me."

"Katie, my darling flower, this isn't what it looks like-"

_SMACK!_

His attempt of false reassurance was met with a loud slap against his face as the girl finally burst into tears. "You told me I was the only one for you! How could you do this to me?!"

Ouch, sucks to be him.

"But Katie, I-!" Katie ran off, heaving sobs from the pain inside her heart before the dishonest blond could finish. "Katie, wait!"

"So, it is true!" A different girl furiously spoke up, tromping over to the two-timing fop. I soon recognized her by the drill hairs she was sporting. "Katie this, Katie that! You've been flirting with that first year behind my back even when we're still betrothed to each other!"

"Ah, Montmorency, my beloved, this is clearly a misunderstanding between the both of us. I was simply-" He was cut off by second slap to the face.

"Don't give me your lies!" Montmorency barked. "I heard everything the moment you were stirring a ruckus with your flowery words!"

"And what is this?!" She snatched the small bottle out of the maid's hand and held it in front of the nearly shaken boy. "Now you're giving away my token of trust as if they are mere trinkets!? Have you no shame, Guiche!?"

"My dear, I can explain-!"

"There is nothing to explain about!" The drill haired girl uncorked the bottle and poured it down his head before storming off in her simmering rage of betrayal.

"Montmorency!" Guiche called after her, to no avail. "Please, give me a chance to make clear of my intentions!"

Most of the people around him, including Saito and I, naturally laughed at his unfortunate predicament because he had done well fucked up his little cheating system and paid the price for it. This, of course, managed to piss him off and the only thing he could do was either suck it up or cry like a bitch.

In his case, he chose to blame the person partly involved and nearest to him in order to poorly justify his excuse and escape from the responsibility of his obvious dishonesty.

"You there!" He pointed accusingly at a baffled Siesta. "How dare you break the hearts of two lovely maidens and have me falsely accused for such treachery that is your doing, lowly wench!"

Whoa, now that's uncalled for. She didn't do anything wrong, fuckwad.

"B-but I-I w-was only-!" The poor girl was stammering for an answer to correct and, trying at the same time, to find the words that would not offend him but ended up with a plea followed by a low bow instead. "-please forgive me for my insolence!"

"Come on, Guiche; just admit that you're at a fault instead of blaming the servant." A moderate green haired kid (Okay?) laughed at the unnecessary scene playing out.

"It is far too late for that!" He snapped, drawing closer to her with a raised hand. "For this mistake, I must enforce strict discipline for your imprudence! I will have you thrown out of this job!"

"Please, sir, I-!" Siesta winced, expecting the worse to come upon her. Before the slap even touched her delicate face, in comes Saito rushing in front of the frightened maid with a pissed off look that screamed "Are you fucking kidding me?".

Oh, but he wasn't the only one who wanted to kick some righteous ass onto a pompous prick. Just out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Shishak marching up with a heavy frown and knuckles cracking out like he was on his way to lecture the fool 'bandit style'.

As for me, naturally, I went and snuck through the slowly growing crowd of students forming around us to get behind the douchebag trying to lay his hand on the nice young lady just because he's uncool like that.

I also want to mentally scar him for life since I'm a dick like that sometimes just to teach him a lesson.

"All she did was to help you, idiot!" Saito shouted at the angry blond mage. "What the hell is wrong with you? Are all mages that arrogant and snobby to get away with everything!?"

"How DARE you address me in that tone, commoner! It seems your master is lax on her punishment." Guiche addressed him with loud chastisement. "Now get out of my way so I can deal with this personal matter that is just!" He pointed the wand at Saito's face in a form of a threat.

"Boy, you must have either been dropped on the head one too many times and went half-retarded or you were actually born dumber than bricks of shit to begin with." The undeniably shrill, but seriously deadly, voice of my enemy entered the heated conversation with a downright scary expression and an accurate statement that I couldn't agree anymore with.

This is gonna be good.

"Oh look, if it isn't the foul smelling twig with the hideously unkempt attire that rivals my flawless form that is I!" The fop proclaimed again with more dramatic flair.

"Oh look, a spoiled brat with poor manners and understanding." Shishak stated flatly.

This did not go well with the young blond as his spoken words dripped with venom, "You **dare**!"

The bandit leader did not even blink as he nodded solemnly, "Yes, I _dare_. Are you going to do something about it?"

Wow, look at him calling that boy out. Guess he's not a total pushover compared to the other bandits I've faced. Anyway, I'm going to continue to wait behind the boy Guiche until the right time; that's how an Aesop is delivered, I think.

Eh, it'll work.

Guiche brandished his wand to the tall man with a fierce scowl on his face as he spat out, "Indeed, I will, you filthy vagrant. In fact, I can rest assure that even with all four of the Zero's pathetic familiars against me, my magic will devastate you clueless louts into nothing; for I am a noble and you shall bow down to my might or else suffer the- ACK!"

"Suffer the 'ACK'?" Saito repeated and looked at him oddly before realizing what had just happened.

I've managed a chokehold around the blond brat's neck while further along creeping him out with my heavy breathing, pretending to get all giddy. "You _smeeeeeellll_ real good, boy."

Actually, he smells like flower-coated shit. Whatever was in that perfume makes me want to upchuck my lunch the longer I stay close to him.

He gave a soft whimper and tried to struggle out of my grasp, but I remedied that by pulling him closer. Just for kicks, I slowly begin to caress his cheeks to see if doing that would expose any insecure sexual orientation. Sadly, I only got him more agitated so he's probably not hiding in the closet.

"You know," I started with a creepy grin, "I could take you to my private little room and show you some things you've never seen before, boy."

Now he was really hoping a loose break would happen to him as he attempts another desperate wiggle, demanding _and_ begging me not to take his virginity away. The way he squealed almost made me giggle in glee, added with the equally horrified audience that held faces of terror and disgust.

"Please! I don't want to be fondled by a golem!" Oh good lord, he still thinks I'm a construct? No wonder Shishak's words rang straight and true.

"I'm not a golem, you retard." I chuckled, holding back a gag after another whiff. "Would a golem be able to actually pull off human mimicry so perfectly?" This made him pause for a bit to think on my words before getting back to pleading for his life.

"I don't want to be fondled by a man!" Guiche gave another cry, causing Saito and Shishak to laugh at his sudden change of word.

Siesta could only stare at the display of ridicule with a blank look plastered on her face while standing next to her other friend and another strange man guffawing away, treating it like a show. Well, one of them was laughing, the other person gave a sinister cackle that you would only hear from plotting mages in mystery novels.

"Familiar!" Goddamnit, Louise, really? "Release him this instant!"

"It's Farmer, get it right!" I called back.

With an exasperated growl she said again, "Farmer, release him this instant!"

"_What's the magic word~_?" Well, so much for pretending to be her slave.

". . ."

"C'mon, you know what it is."

A few more prodding then got her to cooperate as she casted a spiteful glare at me and said in a hard tone, "**Please**."

There you go! Was it really that hard?

I loosen the arms around the nearly scarred blond from my grasp and return the pinkette's stern leer with a victorious smirk after the cheating Casanova-wannabe scrambled away from me with much enthusiasm in fear.

And I was just getting to the good part.

"Don't think I won't let you get away with this! I demand an apology from you, wretched barbarian!" He cried out with his wand pointed at me.

I looked at him with a now turned nonchalant expression and gave a yawn before I could say anything else on my mind, "Hmm, uhhh, _no_. I don't need to satisfy your bruised ego with an undeserving apology from me if you're going to keep up with that dickish attitude; I'm not the one who was cheating on a girl in the first place. I'm not the one who was power tripping like a despicable twat high on his horses."

"Famil-" Louise tried to chastise me.

"Farmer!" I cut her off abruptly without much of a damn.

She took a trembling deep breath to keep her cool and tried again with a forcibly held calm this time without the temptation of snapping out. With temporary vigor, she looked up at me with intense eyes as she spoke.

"Farmer," the young mage resisted the urge to grind out my name, "apologize to Guiche immediately so that he might stay his hand from inflicting the wrath upon you and let this go with little consequences."

My head shook stubbornly at her foolhardy suggestion that I should take it without baring words of bite or raised fists against the douchebag and let him go scot free to cause another problem that will end up worse if no one bothers to intervene much like what Saito did. I wasn't going to let this blond joke of a romance go just like that; people like him are the reasons why there is still corruption lingering in the Ukrainian government and how much our military is hated for indulging themselves by shooting stalkers and taking our hard earned loot. Apology be damned, I'd rather he learn from his mistake now and stop the bullshit spewing out of his mouth for the sake of protecting some girl I barely even know than let him get away with everything.

"He tried to pin the blame on someone just to get away from his troubles. I'm not going to sully my dignity by kissing his ass. He's not getting my apology any time soon."

Unfortunately for me, Guiche wasn't going to take that as an answer and deepened his glare as he once again attempts another loud shaming announcement to embarrass me or something.

"Fine, if that is what you wish, then I challenge you to a duel!" He proclaimed in his ever annoyingly bold voice.

"Wait, like Yu-gi-oh? I don't know how to play that game." I accidentally blurted out my thought, failing to notice the confused expressions around me.

Saito shook his head at me, "He's not talking about THAT duel, Farmer."

"Oh," My head tilted to the side, "well, when he said 'duel' I thought he meant it like that."

"No. It's nothing like that, bro."

"Oh, really? What about Pokemon?" I asked again.

"It's not like Pokemon either." He gave me a funny look.

"If it's not any of those, then what about Magic: The Gat-"

"It's none of the things that involve card games, Farmer!" The boy exclaimed with mild exasperation. "He's talking about a physical fight between you and him. Meaning: You **hit** each other."

"Ooooooohhh, then why didn't he say so in the first place?" I gestured with a wave at the somewhat clueless Guiche staring at the both of us without realizing that he's being made fun of right now. "If he said he wanted to fight me, it would've been simpler to just say 'Let's fight' instead of using these fancy terminology."

Saito was just about to open his mouth for another small explanation before I cut him off, "Dude, I'm just fucking with you. I know what a duel is."

God, he's too slow to not get a running gag that we've just done minutes ago.

"Now's not the time to be fooling around in this situation." Shishak reminded. "If he wants a duel, then he will get his duel. Put him in his place, so to say."

I made a frigid scoff as he said this and crossed my arms, donning a shit-eating grin to show my amusement, "Please, by the time we're done with this dandy, he'll be wishing that he never met me."

"Coming from you, I'd have half a mind to stay the hell away from you if were in my city." Saito mentioned.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Came my cheeky reply.

"No big surprise," The bandit deadpanned, "I would not even trust you with my daughter if I need someone to watch her."

The left brow of my constantly shifting eyes covered by the visor goggles were raised at his comment as I made another tilt with my head, "You have a daughter?"

Louise could only palm her face at the inappropriate time for a casual conversation between the three of us while the onlookers shared puzzled looks and murmured at the small oddity that is still happening.

"Hey! I'm still here, you fool!" Guiche shouted over us to get our attention.

"Yeah, yeah, I haven't forgotten your sissy ass face yet. Not that I want to remember it, anyway." I responded with nonchalance. "Can you wait a little longer? We're having a debacle here."

"Absolutely not!" He yelled again. "I'm the one who should be demanding your unquestioning compliance, not the other way around!"

Urgh, no wonder I like being alone…

"If you're going to be an impatient prick about it, then we might as well get this over with." I finally turned to him, cracking my knuckles in the process. "Let's settle this, us against you."

Baffled and surprised more by my irrational words, the blond mage sent a shrewd frown at my direction and thought me crazy, "So now you are suggesting that I should allow myself to be at a disadvantage with your cowardly tactics?"

"Hey, I'm not the one who boldly announced that he can take on four familiars with his spectacular 'magic' and defeat them without breaking a sweat." I gave him my snark with a predator grin on the side. "If you want to prove me wrong, ask the crowd of witnesses surrounding us."

I thought I heard a sudden gulp from him when he shot a bitter glare at my cocky smile, shaking slightly in embarrassment from his unnoticed error after remembering what he said earlier. Another attempt of intimidation, no doubt, but his wavering stance betrayed whatever malicious intent he wanted to show as Guiche caught his voice with a tense tone that held a hint of silent outrage than the usual fake bravado he would always let on.

"I accept your challenge." He turned to the door tersely, but continued to speak over his shoulder. "All four of you will meet me at the Vestri Court so I can teach you the proper etiquette the next time you address a noble."

"Better make that three!" I called out. "The merc is nowhere to be found, but we don't need him to join in on the fun."

Instead of responding, he kept walking to the grand doors and exited out of the dining hall, leaving behind the three of us to ponder to ourselves on what to do next. Despite the obvious thing that we have to do, it never hurts to make preparations. Any battle fought expectedly or off-guard always require readiness no matter what it is.

"So, what now?" Saito asked as the crowd slowly dispersed, making their way to said-court that we knew nothing of.

"Now?" I started off with a genuine grin and gave him a hard pat on the back. "Now, we make preparations for the ass kicking. Ever fired a 9mm pistol, kid? Oh wait, of course you haven't; they don't allow guns in Japan. That makes it even better for the both of us."

"Are you sure it's wise to let him handle a firearm, Small Farmer?" Shishak's tone held concern, probably wary of the questionable course of action that I had in mind. "He is only a child."

"Yeah, he's a kid, but that didn't stop you Russians from using child soldiers in the earlier days of the motherland," My hand was already inside the backpack to fetch a Walker P9m that I also took the measure to be modified by Cardan in case I ever need another backup sidearm, "or anyone else living in a third-world country, so to speak. Beside, he's not going to survive long enough unless we teach him how to adapt like us."

"We?" The lanky blond stepped forward with his fists clenched and eyes narrowed. "What makes you think I am willing to turn him into a killer? He is not like us; we shouldn't expose the boy to what we've been through in the Zone."

"Honestly, coming from you, I'm rather surprised that someone of your profession would actually give a damn for a kid than take advantage of him."

An offended scowl grew on the bandit's face, "Not every 'bartender' is a cruel animal prowling for their next prey; some of us have a life outside and we try to make a reasonable profit with little violence as possible. Those were the good old days before we became nothing more than dishonorable beings."

"Oh yeah, sure, like robbing people of their hard-earned moolah and equipment is considered 'honorable'." I shot back angrily, but quietly, and pointed a finger at him. "It's people like you that give stalkers a bad name. Did you know that most of the few tourists that come to the Zone mistook us for you guys? Even a news reporter thought I was going to shake him down when I only wanted to be on camera and say hi to the cops."

Louise's frantically tight voice loudly interrupted us before the argument became more personal, "I don't know how all of you can be so calm without worrying about your demise! Commoners like you cannot defeat a mage, no matter the numbers or the skills you hold. This is outright madness!"

Madness? THIS. IS. STALKER!

I managed an amused chuckle at my inside joke before looking down at the pinkette sporting worriment in her expression.

"There's a first for everything, you know." I said, finally fishing out the Walker out of my pack. "You might be surprised by how well we can handle almost any given situation thrown at us; the armor I wear isn't just for show." I gave the padded vest a small pat after putting my backpack on to show off its sturdiness.

Siesta, on the other hand, disagreed with me entirely as she walked closer with frightened eyes and quivering lips, "Please, for all of your sakes, reconsider the duel before it is too late. I don't want my friends to die because of me! I can look for a new job elsewhere!"

Despite her kind words and the fact that she considered us (and god forbid, _me_) friends, I stubbornly refused to comply by shaking my head before handing the gun to Saito to which he managed to grasp without shooting off a round by accident. I need to teach him gun safety after this is over.

"What good are friends like us if we don't help you? This is our choice; I'm not going to let you lose your job all because some magic brat is putting his own problem onto someone like you and gets away with it. That is bullshit."

"What you are doing is beyond foolishness!" Louise pleaded. "If you go against Guiche, he will show all of you no quarter! Do you really wish to throw your lives away so carelessly over someone you know little of?"

Saito countered her argument with his own comment, "We are only doing the right thing for Siesta. Farmer is right, I'm not going to stand by and let this jerk get his way. I don't care about my reputation or my pride; I care for my friends who I can protect!"

"You're not going to do any good protecting them if you wound up dead!" she nearly shrieked, tears threatening to swell in her eyes. "A familiar is supposed to protect their master, while the master cares for them! Who will protect me if I cannot return my care to them?!"

Sheesh, no wonder this place gives me that annoying tingly sensation. There's hardly any humanity in these people. They could at least show some encouragement or go along with the plan and hope for the best.

And here I thought the Zone was filled with hopelessness. This magic land is just crap covered with a silk curtain; a bright fairy tale with a grim plot. I may be jumping to conclusion too soon, but everything about this place just screams contradiction. At least the Zone held some sense, even if nothing is sensible there.

Although, some part of Shishak's words did hit home when I didn't put much thought in having the kid involved. Hell, I gave him a gun without listening to his choice. I am such a shitty role model if I'm going to hand out guns to teenagers and expect them not to blow a digit off.

. . .

Maybe it's not too late to get him out of this; he has a bright future ahead of us. Prod him to the right direction; show him that making a smart move is not cowardice. But, will he listen?

I craned my head to my young friend and was about to ask him if this is his own final decision until I saw something that tickled my eyes as he examine the Walker with his right hand and the unknown phenomenon showing on the other.

"Hey Saito, is it just me or is the Outsider trying to communicate with us?"

. . .

"Who?"

"…Never mind."


	4. Chapter 3: Breaking Bronze: Part 2

_A/N: Here is the second part of 'Breaking Bronze' (after many toils of college, homework, more reading on the Light Novel and the dreaded final exams), with the fight scene rolling out the moment Farmer says something insensible because that's how he roll. Prepare your popcorn and roll out those billboards, because ass is about to be kicked. _

_A reviewer, Kruggov, shared his concerns about Farmer's derogatory slurs. I can understand where he is going at, as I am not racist and do not encourage racism in this story since the mentioning of the Ukrainian Civil War. Rest assure, __**I do not intend to turn my fanfic into a hate story or a political message **__**that shows a certain nationality being bad or inferior (Along with taking sides),**__**but that still won't stop me from adding a few international, stereotypical jabs now and then**__. __**Let's face it, reality isn't perfect. Although, that doesn't necessarily mean it needs to be fucked up more.**_

_Your concerns are duly noted and I apologize in advance for any offenses; however, I will not stop adding minor racism that relates to politics or personal expression, but I won't go too far if that is your worry. Fortunately, I only intend to portray Farmer that way to show his flaws; no one is perfect, and that includes him and the rest of the main gang._

_**Again, I may have to remind the rest of the audience that just because a fictional character uses offensive terms or does an action that is intolerable in a story, it does not automatically make the author an insensitive asshole unless they blatantly crossed that line too many times in every chapter, and then it becomes very obvious.**_

_**Try not to take any of the offensive terms too seriously. It is just a story. If you wish to add your criticism openly about it then fire away. **_

_As for now, please enjoy the story on how you see it. _

_Thanks you._

_**I DO NOT OWN THE STALKER SERIES AND THE FOZ LIGHT NOVEL; ONLY THE OC CHARACTERS.**_

_**Yeza Nairomof:**__ The Outsider is a character from the game 'Dishonored'. Knowing Farmer, he's probably an avid video gamer even in his adult years._

_**Doomsdayguy12345: **__Stay tune for more action-packed, snark worthy, and high as a kite shenanigans!_

* * *

Chapter 3

**Breaking Bronze: Part 2**

* * *

Longueville waved her wand at the headmaster's doors to eavesdrop on the conversation that she could not miss out any longer, eliciting a raised brow from the quiet man known as Cutler as the faint words were finally filtering out of the walls and into her pressed ear.

"Don't mind me; I'm just rather curious of their discussion. No harm done." She reassured him with a dainty smile.

Being stone faced as ever, he only managed a small nod and continued to stand at his spot much like treating it as a post. Unsurprisingly he still didn't say anything to her, preferring to stare straight ahead and ignore her intended intrusion on the talks that was still happening inside the office.

The secretary, still unnerved by his presence, nonetheless tried to start up a jovial conversation between them in hopes of giving him a false sense of trust and to prod the man into speaking just because his silence for some reason disturbed her. She could not tell if his eyes swerving at the hallway was a small habit or to subtly watch her actions.

"You don't seem to talk much, do you?" Longueville said in jest.

"No." He answered stoically.

. . .

. . .

"Do you want to listen as well?"

"No, thank you."

. . .

. . .

"Are you sure?" She asked him again.

"Yes."

. . .

With a shrug, she turned her fullest attention just in time for the mentioning of a duel going on in the courtyard. Colbert's alarmed tone about it did justify his concern, but it seems that Old Osmond had other plans not to stop it. Something to further prove that the four summoned commoners are the actual legendary Gandalfrs, even though there is supposed to be 'one' written on the tome.

To hear such interesting information that made the secretary realize that she so happens to be near one of them nearly sparked her curiosity further inside, before it shrank down to fear when she also felt his icy glance at her back and tried not to shiver under his watch.

. . .

. . .

. . .

"Something tells me that fool is off to do something idiotic, again." Cutler's quiet tone sharply slashed the silence with his off-handed comment. "I'd pity the person who will have to clean up his mess after it is done."

Longueville knew half of what he meant, but she dared not to question him anymore on how he might know what is going on without having to look at his cold eyes lest her mind froze and her body unable to restrain itself to show fear this time.

As if reading her mind, he then said, "Quiet isn't his strongest point. One shudders to imagine what twisted thoughts lie behind that mask."

A faint twitch flickered under his left eyelid, "What dreams of inane and preserved barbarity?"

If the cryptic message didn't cause the green-haired secretary to have a panic attack now, she sure is definitely creep out by his eerily dry tone and disturbing choice of words that is addressed to a man she best hope to herself not to meet any time soon or _ever at all_.

* * *

"Do you believe in magic~? Do da dodo do~, dada da dah dada dah dada dah…!"

"Can you at least sing something a little more appropriate without making it sound like you're about to commit murder?" Saito said dryly, walking on my right.

"What? It helps me think of different ways on how to make him scream like a little girl." I replied back with a shit-eating grin.

He rolled his eyes back at me, "I'm sure it does, pal."

"You got any better ideas, then?"

"Yep," He let his eyes wander for anything out of place, "like getting you to stop that bad habit."

"Kid, I told you many times already," The words wheezed through my clenched teeth in a loud hiss as we tried to find the courtyard, "I don't hate him because he is Russian; I hate his government for poking their business into our civil unrest. Now, I know what you're thinking: That still means the same thing."

Saito sighed at me as if he was disappointed, "Because it's still considered racist no matter how you put it. Shishak-san seems very tolerant toward you, but you can't just keep making comments that offend him and other people."

"Earlier ago, you didn't say zip about it. What made you brought it up now?" In my hands, I checked my favored AC-96/2 over again one last time after heading back to Louise's room for a resupply. Shishak didn't tag along with us, preferring to follow Louise and Siesta to the designated area and wait for our arrival. The Viper 5 strapped to my pack was going toward him once we get there; Saito talked me into giving him a gun since we are supposed trust each other now.

Personally, I'd preferred that bandit scum to use his knife, but with all his babble about honor I decided that I should follow along with the idea that I made for all of us; if he hasn't really gone back on his words in the past, then I should do the same with mine.

"I didn't say anything because I thought you were joking around or releasing some stress. Now, I'm starting to think that you might have some issues with those who are different from you." He said, making sure to keep his finger off the trigger of his given pistol.

I responded in kind with this to say, "Look, I'm not calling him a commie or anything else highly derogative. I just don't like his government, alright? In fact, I don't like other countries who try to screw us Ukrainians over to line their pockets with money. Look at the Americans and their allies; they have a habit of helping others if it benefits them in return."

Doesn't help that despite my views for Freedom, their idea of sharing the Zone means having it open for grabs. Westerners are shiftier than they look.

"You sound like a nationalist when you mention that." The black-haired boy pointed out.

Another sigh came breezing out of my mouth, "Well, when you're raised by parents who went through the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989 and decided to dance on top of cars because they were happy for independence, all the propaganda shit they teach just gets to you. It's not a good excuse for me to get off easily, but it doesn't help that Vlad the Dickhead posted troops in Crimea; hence, why I throw in some slurs out of habit."

"Will that get in the way with your views toward the mages?" He asked.

I shook my head briefly, "No, only if they act like superior pricks. Like I said, I don't hate the person individually; I just hate their system and redundant bandwagon mindset. It's not like I'm into that neo-nazi bullshit."

"Whatever you say…" Saito shot a skeptical glance. "…Just don't take it too far."

"Oh relax; I'm not going to start an anti-magic demonstration. If they don't bother me, I don't bother them." I reassured him through my loud grumbling.

I wish that was the full truth. The bothering part, I mean.

"Look Saito, whatever happens today, I just want you to know that not everyone is a Good Samaritan or a pure saint. We all have our problems with certain things in mind. Most of the time, I don't act my age since that's how I roll. I swear a fuck ton on a daily basis and piss people off either because I don't like them or I'm bored. But, I'm a lot craftier than I look; I take advantage of my surroundings and make sure that they go my way, all the way. Selfish, yes, but it's a whole lot better than dying like a clueless sap with good intentions."

"You should know this already, but I just want you to realize your surroundings and stay alive, alright?" My right hand patted his shoulder. "Just follow my lead and make sure to back off for us to mop up if things get too hot."

As I said this, both of us took notice of a huge gathering in two rows, on both sides, at the very same (or different) courtyard surrounding two figures facing each other; both that we very much recognized from their clothing amongst the surrounding crowds of various colored capes.

"Looks like they're waiting for the show to begin." I mused aloud with a joking sneer. "_How nice of them_. Got your mags ready, kid?"

"Yes." He confirmed, patting the three extra mags in his coat and pants pockets.

"Good, good. Then we shouldn't hold them any further. Say, have you played any FPS games before, Saito?"

"Yeah, a couple. I know the basics of how a gun works if that's what you're wondering about it…" Saito glanced at his left hand again and made a small frown at the glowing runes. "…Though, it does feel like I actually know fully about this pistol, oddly enough."

His answer made me cocked my head slightly at him, as this brought back the attention of the mark all of us still have on our hand, "You? Knowing how to properly operate a gun that fast? Please, video games may be an introductory tutorial to knowing what it is, but firing one is another story. Once we're done with this, I'm going to teach you how to wield that shooter like a pro. And if that doesn't help you, then I'll have Cutler show you the extra ropes."

The boy gave a short nod and sprouted a confident smile as we drew closer to the crowd, our eyes making out different people in the gathered mob who decided to watch the show. We couldn't find Siesta or Louise in there, but we did see Kirche and the blue haired book girl (haven't caught her name yet) standing in the front row. We also saw the still heated blonde drill haired girl with the large red bow and the first year brunette, but other than that it was mostly just people I don't know or cared to point out.

Some of the students took notice of our arrival and quietly made room for us to pass through, knowing that we had just made our own death wish and they are here to watch the fun-time slaughter. Unknowingly to them, we weren't going to be the ones facing the meat grinder.

"Hey, I see Louise over there!" Saito whispered and pointed at the recognizable sight of shortness and abnormally colored, bright hair standing at the center of the ring. "What is she doing?"

To answer his question, Louise's voice rang out sharply in her unpleasant tone as I winced at the loudness that it held, which almost made me wanting to drop my gun in favor of cupping my ears if not for the steel helmet covering that part.

"Guiche, you know duels are forbidden on school grounds!" She shouted briskly at him.

"Ahh, but that only applies between mages, not commoners like them." The fop replied back with smugness in his voice. "Therefore, no rules are actually being broken at this very moment."

"_But_," He continued in a chastising manner, "I will gladly end this tasteless conflict on my terms _if_ I get an apology before the other two arrives."

Ooh, too late for that.

Without even noticing us, he then pointed at the pinkette in another suspenseful motion. "And I demand that you should do the honors for me."

. . .

Huh, where exactly is this going into?

Without missing a beat, Louise gave her bit with a short "I'm sorry", but apparently this did not fully satisfy his overlarge ego at that point.

"That's not good enough! You should kneel before me and beg for my forgiveness." He snapped at her haughtily. "A simple apology will not hold weight if there is no effort put into it!"

At these words, Louise hesitated to bring herself into complying with his ridiculous demand, torn between throwing away what little honor she held and saving her familiars from their own foolish actions.

"What you are asking of me will only sully my dignity and tarnish my reputation as pathetic, Guiche." She grimly replied.

A playful smile borne of malice crept into his lips when he heard her response, "I am fully aware of your _zero_ reputation, Zero. What say you now? Will you do as you are told and stop wasting everyone's time or shall we continue this conversation so you can keep losing face? Oh, how silly of me, you're already bound to be expelled anyway since you cannot even cast the simplest form of magic to begin with! Hah!"

With a triumphed leer, Guiche crossed his arms and kept smiling, "Once a zero, always a Zero!"

. . .

Man… that is really cold, even for an asshat like me. I understand that Pinky is doing her best to make sure that we don't end up in a box, but this douchebag flirt is taking it up to a whole new level of swag. No one this young should have to go through the humiliation. Not even a loud, fussy brat like her. Granted, it'll take her down a notch but still, that's just harsh.

As if held down by phantom weights of excessive portions, I saw her body buckling while she tried to keep a straight demeanor. I don't know what that girl is going through or whether or not she was nice at one point, but I couldn't just stand there unnoticed and let Louise keep taking these verbal lashes with everyone expecting her to fall on her knees. That shit will haunt her forever; I should know, I didn't have a good upbringing, unlike her, but I made it through by not giving a damn. I can't say the same for her or anyone else, in this matter, but at least Saito and the rest of us are going to put a stop to this.

I can tell the boy isn't happy with what he's been hearing the whole time, much like Shishak and I, due to the visible trembling of outrage he was showing. Believe me, Saito, your anger is understandable.

Time to end this bullshit and show this ballsack piercing what Stalkers are made of.

Before she could open her mouth or even do as the fop wanted, Louise felt a hand placed on her shoulder and turned to see Shishak shaking his head slowly against her better judgement.

"You are better than this, child. This is unnecessary to do." He said.

Louise nudged her shoulders away from him, fresh tears nearly sprung from her tense glare. "I wouldn't need to do it if all of you had behaved yourself in the beginning!"

A long sigh erupted from the bandit leader as he shook again at her attempt of fearlessness and tried to gently pull her away from the improvised arena. "This is not your fight, my dear. You should be watching our victory, not lamenting over a possible defeat."

"Don't you dare patronize me, commoner! I am a mage and you should do as your master tell you!" The girl slapped his hand away as she said this. "You wouldn't stand a chance against the likes of him, even with added numbers! Are you so bravely daft as to not foresee your inevitable death? Why must you drive yourself toward this foolishness!?"

Guiche couldn't help but called out his own _helpful_ advice, "Your master is right, you foul smelling twig! Give up while your life is still in your own hands."

"Why must you drive yourself toward _this_ _foolishness_?" Shishak shot her question back sternly all while ignoring the boy's callous call, causing her to blink back at his vague message. "Why do you try to gain their respect when you know it won't be returned? You should have realized by now that they will never see you as one of them. So why do you keep trying?"

Such an innocent question from him turned out to be a hard hit for the girl as she flinched at the hard truth, but still kept trying to justify her reason.

"A Noble's reputation should reflect from their position," Louise tremored slightly as she stood her ground, light pink eyes boring into his softening green gaze and with both hands clenched at her side, "and I have yet to earn that privilege if the rest of them won't even see me as a respectable mage. What good am I if all of my spells, my merit, and my hard work means nothing in the end? Don't you see? I have to keep trying in order for my class to recognize me!"

"Your class, or _their_ class?" The lanky man quipped again, kneeling down to one leg to meet her eye level and gave a brief smile. "Dearie, you didn't do all of this for them, but for yourself. You should be **proud** of your own accomplishments, not worry over some silly clique popularity system. Become what YOU want, not what people expect you to be. Recognize your own talent and take advantage of it!"

Shishak's true words of comfort did helped ease Louise's nerves as she allowed parts of her body to loosen up, but there was still some doubt in her mind. "B-but I can't even do proper magic! Every incantations I form ends up blowing up in my face!"

"Then harness that power with a different method!" Boy, I didn't know his face could get any more confident when it involves calming insecure girls like pinky. "Do not look at it as a mistake, but as a new potential of the sort. Most discoveries were in-fact 'accidental' during research, yes?"

She nodded silently.

"Then you must be very smart to come across something new! You remind me of my own daughter when she went through…" His words suddenly trailed off at the mentioning of the subject, earning him a rather perplexed glance. "…well, I, uh, forget about that last part. What I'm trying to tell you is to trust in yourself, because I trust you with my life. When we are done with this silly charade, we will help you with this setback, okay?" Shishak tenderly beamed his handsome smile.

Aww, what a softie he is. I have no doubt about his competence of being a father, even though he is still a filthy mugger in my eyes. A devious one, too, since part of our agreement did include helping her out.

. . .

Jesus fucking Christ, where the hell is Cutler? He better not be applying duct tape bondage on some hot magic chick, because I would be pissed if he wasn't watching us handing out someone's ass on a platter and not get to see his stony expression crumble just for the shits.

Small droplets trickled down Louise's cheeks as she sniffed quietly and formed a small smile, "You really think so?"

"Would this face lie to you if I didn't believe what I've said earlier?" He winked and gently brushed the tears away, before standing back up. "I always keep my word, so I will do what I can to help you succeed. But right now, us men need to protect the wrongfully accused."

Putting on the smooth moves there, buddy? I can see why most girls like a pretty face on a guy; the technique of tenderness makes it easier for them to execute if they can take on motherly duties as well.

A sharp tapping against the stone ground brought both of their attentions back to an increasingly impatient Guiche de Gramont, who scowled at them from his opposite standing with arms crossed. "Must you dwindle my time away with more needless talk? I have a Zero to humiliate, mind you!"

"And I have a young boy to molest, if you don't mind!" I called out cheerily, giving the AR a final check. "Better prepare those butt cheeks of yours, my pretty!"

The foppish young mage instantly froze up for a second at my faux-lewd words and nearly panicked when he saw me bore a fiendish grin on my face. Saito stood there with bold determination in his eyes, but couldn't help but cringe silently at my choice of intimidation. My blatant comment managed to stir up the crowd like last time, revealing revolted frowns and pale-face terror. Some of the male students even backed themselves further inside just to hide their presence from me while the majority of females blushed at the images in their head.

Louise just looked really annoyed and appalled at the same time, muttering "Slimy lecher" under her breath as her expression hardened into that familiar vex seen too commonly around us.

All part of the plan, as always, while I walk tough and stopped next to the exasperated bandit who is probably wondering why I'm saying all these crazy things.

"So nice of you people to come here and watch me turn this arrogant prick into my **bitch**!" I yelled loudly enough for everyone to hear. "Oh, what will his parents think of him after I take away not only his virginity, but his pride, dignity, and self-esteem? They'd probably think he's not fit to be a proud mage leading the family! Hah! He's better off as a prostitute than a good for nothing, shameless flirt!" After that, I soon finish it off with rambunctious laughter.

My fiery insults got me the much expected results as I heard the harsh, indignant voice that sounded like he wanted to prove me wrong and tear my body apart into little pieces at the same time, "**Why you despicable, disgusting, destitute dog! **I should have you quartered for demeaning my good name! Callous commoners like **you** are the reason why we need to tighten our control over the ignorant population!"

Coming from him, that's pretty ironic. The mages assume their grip over the non-magic people, but they can't even control themselves from self-indulgences. They are no different than everyone else aside from the ability to do abracadabra.

"Oh, then why don't you do something about it, _douche_?" I taunted, flipping him the bird in response to his threat. "If you think all commoners are crude and stupid, then prove me wrong!"

Guiche gritted his teeth openly and aimed the wand at me, "I'll make an _example_ out of you first. As for the rest of your associates, I will deal with them swiftly afterwards."

Oh, I definitely got him riled up now. Since he'll be coming after me, Saito and Shishak should be able to flank him while I serve as the hard hitter and distractor. The idiot doesn't even realize what's going on, only wanting to put my head on a silver platter for flinging all my shit at him. Psychological warfare always work wonders when you try to get under the skin of your foe.

A quick glance above me showed clear skies with only a few floating around. I felt another grin rolling in as I looked back down, wanting to see the pissed off face of my opponent.

Just in time for him to wave three petals off from the head of the rose, watching them land on the ground, glow for a few seconds, and then turn into something… bigger.

And taller…

And metal…

. . .

. . .

Well, I didn't expect that.

. . .

Shit.

"Hey Saito," I leaned closer and whispered, "is bronze a soft or hard metal?" The kid gave me an incredulous look for not knowing my periodic table and opened his mouth to reply.

"It is between both," a new voice answered plainly as he ambled next to Shishak with the same stoic, bored expression on his face, "and yes, bullets will penetrate it, with or without specialized penetrators, as they are already full metal jacketed."

Good to know, professor.

The crowd also took notice of the newest member among us and exchange hush whispers while pointing at him. Most of the students shirked away from his cold eyes when he pivot his head around to scan the area, assessing the environment and what appropriates tactics should be used here. Others gawked at him, curious to know how he managed to appear without anyone realizing his presence.

"Where did _he_ come from?" One whispered to another.

"Brimir, I didn't even see him until now!"

"What a creepy commoner…"

I gave a large smirk at Cutler acting all nonchalant despite the high change of the situation we were in and nodded in approval. He stare at me under deep scrutiny for a little while as the turquoise colored figures that looked to be feminine drew closer with their sword and spears drawn in threatening fashion, all of them armed with shields held up front.

"Took you long enough to find us. Where've you been lately?"

"Elsewhere." Was the only word I could manage to get out of him.

"Such as?"

. . .

. . .

Not fazed by the approaching danger, the merc still continued his stony gaze at me as if he was expecting something in return.

"My gun, please." His right hand was stretched out in front of me with an open palm.

My smile grew wider at the insistence for his preferred weapon as this made me want to poke at his patience again, but I didn't have the time to keep egging him with the approaching threats slowly coming our way. With a quick drop of my backpack and a few seconds of unzipping, I pulled out a rectangular object made of black polymer with an L-shaped line running in the middle.

Well, almost rectangular if you take out the flashlight and handle above the short barrel of the folded gun.

"You mercs sure have access to the strangest top-of-the-line weapons," I placed the Magpul FMG9 on his open hand, "no wonder most buyers from the big lands preferred your services than just any other grunt with a gun."

"You'll be surprised." He responded nonchalantly and snapped the gun open by the sight handle, revealing the rest of the contents hidden inside. A pistol grip here with an extended 30 bullet magazine, a small foregrip there that serves as both a hold and slide rack with a hooked front to prevent the fingers from being turned into bloody stumps, the gun itself took on a whole new revolutionary shift toward concealed compact automatics.

The only problem is that the company only made enough for the prototype stage as they've never really considered putting it in mass production, so I wouldn't be surprised that a rare gun like that would wound up in the hands of the highest bid. Most guns that turned up somewhat successful tend to be shelved for possible improvement or because the price of manufacturing it are too expensive.

How do I know this? Well, I like to read the gun ads in some of the American firearms magazines on my days when I feel an inspiration going on in my head of making my own designs, but know I would probably need a lot of cash to buy resources and tools so just draw them out of the top of my head. It usually helps with my boredom much more than stare at my pocket watch or pretend to be badass. Plus, it also helps improve my poorly jumbled English; hearing and reading it is easy, speaking it is a pain in the ass.

And then there's Russian…

. . .

I think I'm getting too off-tracked here, with the imminent danger of being impaled and/or sliced to death approaching and the feeling of my arm being slapped again to get my attention.

"Ow." The impact it left felt harder than the usual I tend to get from the kid.

"Hey, wake up!" Shishak hollered in my ear, bringing me back to what was going on. "Stop staring off like an idiot and pay attention!"

With a blink, I turn to look at the three golems that have completely stopped in their tracks just fairly close to where we have been standing at and are now awaiting for further commands from their master. I quickly zipped up everything (but not before tossing the Viper over to Shishak) and shoved it to Louise, who managed a small 'eep' at the unexpected move and shot an exasperated glare at my direction.

"Hold on to this while the four of us get busy, m'kay?" Not waiting for her answer, I turn to face the opposition with a readied AC-96/2 and a wicked grin while the rest of the guys prepared for the fight as the girl retreated into the crowd with bag in hand. Saito made sure not to put his left thumb behind the slide and bended his arms slightly to fix his posture, while Shishak made sure the Viper 5 has a bullet in the chamber by cocking the bolt back and then slapping it. The merc also racked the foregrip bolt of his 'Glock in the box' and shouldered it in a ready position.

Tension brewed between the young two-timer and the four of us as he wanted to add one more gloat before seeing to our end. Normally, I should take advantage of this and just shoot him in the leg while he's flapping his mouth, but for now I'll just humor him.

"Do you know why they call me 'The Bronze'?" Guiche de Gramont leisurely smiled, confident under the assumption that our guns wouldn't do diddly squat against his creations.

. . .

Because you're good at scrap metal art?

"Because I am mage, so therefore I fight using my earth magic. I am Guiche the Bronze."

Okay…

"Surely, you have no complaints?"

Just as long as you don't put up some bullshit restrictions such as not allowing us to use firearms. Looking at their current flintlock technology, he'll probably think we're sporting fancy single-shots.

"He sure likes to hear himself talk, that's for certain." Saito muttered under his breath.

Agreed.

"As you can see by my bronze Valkyries, they shall be your real opponents."

Hmm… his golems are kinda bunched together… I wonder if I can take them all out with one clear shot?

"So, how will this begin?" Shishak asked. "The duel, I mean."

Guiche waved his wand casually toward a student acting as the referee, standing nearby between us at the edge of the court.

"Gentlemen! It's a duel!" The acting ref announced with both arms raised up. The crowd bursts into cheering at the sign of action that is about to start.

"On this side, we have Guiche de Gramont!" The cheering grew louder as the fop waved his arms around.

"And opposite to him, he will be going up against Louise's commoners!" The scene went silent and still as he addressed us, aside from the small shuffling of feet. I guess yelling 'rape' out loud repeatedly tends to make an awkward position, not that I would care about it.

"We have names, you know." The Japanese spoke bitterly.

"Eh, forget about it, boy!" I flip the sight of the GP-25 and stuck my thumb out to angle my aim and distance at the middle Valkyrie golem while Guiche and the rest looked at my funny. "Just stay focus and remember what I said. Names won't matter if we get our asses killed."

He nodded with acknowledgement and said, "Got it."

Cutler's eyes quickly flickered at my action, and then toward the bronze fighters as he stayed quiet. Shishak also took notice of this and could not help but frown at my intentions before I told him that, "The crowd is too far for it to hit them and the flirt is also standing on the other side of the court. So relax already, I know what I'm doing."

The trenchcoater scoffed at my half-assed logic and muttered, "Not one hair harmed on them, Small Farmer."

Gosh, since when do bandits started to grow a heart?

"But the question is: will it even stop his summoned creations?" The merc quietly added his two cents about my plan. "For all we know, it probably won't even be effective. Fragmentation grenades are meant for living beings, not magical constructs."

"Hey, you said it yourself: They're made out of bronze." Satisfied with my calculated distance, I lowered my thumb right when the blond boy was about to shoot a condescending smirk at us. "And look at the thickness of these things; they seem almost thin like steel plate armor. If I shoot a Vog in the middle of their group, I might be able to cripple those other two making it easier for us to finish them off."

Saito's eye brighten up as he heard this, "So, we just need to hang back and let your grenade do the trick before we move in to mop up the mess."

"Exactly." I nodded to him. "It might distract him for a little, but that's all we need to knock him out before he starts making more metal minions or some other spells."

"But he just said we would only be fighting against the ones standing there." Shishak mentioned.

I gave a brief shake of the head and muttered, "We don't know that. He was vague on that part, so it's best to be safe than sorry if the douche decides to summon another set of them."

Knowing a little bit about explosives, the large force from the explosive charge should be able to cripple a limb or two at close proximity since the fragments would be useless against non-living opponents. Even then, during my times in Jupiter I saw a Pseudogiant took multiple shots of 40mm grenades from a group of Duty members going on a planned extermination job before the final shell managed to down it for good. They took some losses, but they should consider themselves lucky not to be wiped out by a mentally retarded mutant with a skull as thick as tank plating.

Cutler nodded silently at my speculation, as of the same time the ref boldly announces to us that we may begin our duel. Right after the declaration had been made, earth mage's metal minions dashed toward us almost at an instant to do us in with their stabby instruments.

Too bad for him, my reflexes are faster when I brought the barrel up and pulled the trigger of the launcher.

The thump of the caseless round being propelled by the percussion cap sounded rather loudly, now that I noticed it. It's probably the enclosed space around us since we're in a large, stone built academy so that would explain the audible bang.

The sailing grenade manage to hit its mark on the middle Valkyrie, landing against the lower torso and then exploding into a brilliant flash of shrapnel. Like I said, a six meter blast radius isn't that far to hit anyone outside of it. It is possible a few strays might hit someone, but it's not like it'll outright kill them, right?

I mean, the entire fucking courtyard is nearly as big as a soccer field.

As expected, the young audiences stepped back hastily to avoid the explosion. Luckily, for me, there were no unnecessary casualties aside from a few students falling on their asses or backing away in gasping surprise. Along with that, my logical assumption also turned out right when we saw two of his minions crippled against the affected sides, with the middle one being totally wrecked by the impact. Both of them were missing a limb, notably an arm and a leg, while the target itself looked like it's been blown apart and smashed inward at the same time. Not going to question physics on that.

Still… Hehe, that's one for the scrapyard.

"Open fire!"

Almost automatically, we followed Cutler's command and unleashed a full barrage of death upon the unfortunate golems vulnerable in the open. The first shot from Saito was a clean headshot finished off by a fast burst of bullets by Shishak. The one legged golem lying on the ground was soon dealt with a two-shot burst from yours truly by a headshot. Surprisingly, they went down easily with only a handful of bullets even though they weren't alive to begin with.

My observation stands correct. Their armor layer is too thin to take the bullets. Even if the Guiche boy thickens them further, steel-core rounds will still penetrate through.

"Why are they disintegrating into a white light?" I said aloud, pointing at the inert golems now disappearing underneath some cheap flash effects. "Oh wait, magic, right."

Even when he is faced with the total destruction of his constructs, with bullets of sweat trickling down his forehead, undoubtedly, the douche managed to keep what little composure he could hold in that ego of his and STILL won't shut the fuck up with that bold tone.

"It seems I've underestimated you cowardly sows and your strange repeating muskets." He declared. "No matter, have at you!"

"They're not muskets, you fucktard! They are called **automatic firearms**!" Came my loud reply as I prepped another Vog into the launcher. The next wave was about to start, so I might need the extra firepower in case he starts tanking his golems.

Damn that bandit for not allowing me to take the opportunity in shooting that boy's leg. 'Not a hair harmed,' he says. Tch… maybe he has a point. We shouldn't make a bad example for Saito by casually shooting kids his age and treat it like a normal thing.

Instead of answering back, he gave his wand another flick with six more petals slowly wafted to the ground and spawning more of his Valkyrie warriors; this time all of them had their plates thickened and are armed with bigger shields and spears as they marched quickly to get in close. To think this guy would've figured out by now that arming them with bows should have done the trick and put us in a pickle since we're using range weapons.

Of course, he's either an idiot or he can't really make bows and even then it would not help him much because we have the technological advantage. By that, I mean, I have a shit ton of ammunition stored in my box; mostly 9mms and .45 ACPs, but still enough bullets to kill everything that gets in the way.

"Don't get too cocky, Pavlo." The merc quietly intoned. "Only one of us has an assault rifle that can pierce through that kind of defense with ease. Use your ammunition wisely."

I have a machine pistol that fires high-powered rounds, what's his excuse?

"Yeah, yeah, I know." I quickly replied. "Don't spray and pray, got it."

I noticed that his golems were covering their heads, but now their legs are exposed. Wow, this guy is really asking to be stomped to the curb if he can't come up with better tactics instead of using numbers to even the playing field.

One of us knew what would happen next.

"Aim for the legs!" A pulsed shot to the middle golem's joints managed to cripple it into a limp. Suddenly, three of them split from the column and are flanking from the left while the other two did the same at the opposite side. They then charged forward toward us with their spears lowered and held in front while the injured fighter stayed back to protect its master.

Okay, so he's wising up now; time to tweak our strategy as well.

"Cutler, you and Saito take care of the right! Shishak and I will deal with the flankers on the left. Make sure not to hit anyone in the crowd!"

"On it!"

"Acknowledged."

"Okay, spread out a bit! Shoot the body to slow them down! Go for head or leg shots if you can!" My finger flicked the full-auto as I backed away from our attackers and sent some controlled bursts at their direction. Shishak and Cutler mimicked my actions while Saito made his shots count when one of the golems' shield buckled under the combined stream of bullets, allowing him to fire off a couple quick shots at its head before it could have the chance to rush one of us through its sharp lance. That's one down, five more to go.

"They're getting near us!" Shishak stepped to the side just in time to dodge a hasty stab at his midsection and riddled the walking metal art with 9mms for its troubles. It kept coming after him so he continued to fire upon it until the thing stopped moving. Afterwards, he then swapped a fresh mag. "Shit! That was a close one!"

"Wow, these things can take a beating!" I had to back away and strafe constantly as two of the metal warriors tried and tried again to impale me though the abdomen while I peppered its shield with hastily aimed shots. Even though they're moving slower than the previous one, those things were still able to cover our ground and absorb more bullets.

"OW!"

At one point (hehehe, _point_), the spear actually hit me right at the side; luckily, it was only a glancing blow and the flat end slapped against my rib. It hurt like a bitch, but it wasn't a life-sustaining injury and probably won't be since I have my healing artifacts equipped. Needlessly to say, the strike managed to knock me to the ground leaving me wide opened for its next attack.

"Shitshitshit!" Another sharp spear collided against a now empty spot just as I crawled away in a nick of time. At least I still held on to the rifle, but it won't do me any good if I'm still lying on the ground while that thing is after me.

_Pafpafpaf! Pafpafpaf!_

Six rapid shots pushed it away from my position, stunning the bronze fighters just enough for me to pick myself up and get back into the fight. It seems like the kid has found the burst fire setting on that pistol.

"Farmer, are you okay?" Saito fired quicker, precise bursts at my offender's shields that would put a cowboy to shame if there ever was one. Speaking of which, how is he even managing that if this is his first time using a gun?

Huh, I guess FPS games do work wonders with firearm skills.

I gave him a thumbs-up to signal an affirmative and continued to lay down the firepower on said-golems trying their best to get me within stabbing range, but kept missing because I was circling around its blind spots.

The merc decided to get into another golem's personal space, weaving his body around until he got close enough to its shield and jumped to the side seconds as it was about to bash him with it. Two short bursts to the head later and it dropped like a sack of potatoes.

"Three more to go." He notified, turning his attention at the two golems still chasing me around.

"C'mon, you bitches! Come and get me!" My loud taunts did not thing to intimidate them, but it felt good to let it out. "Seriously, your golem's are- UGH, SHIT!"

Somehow, one of the pursuers flanked me and went for a successful shield bash, causing me to fly off in a random direction. Another painful landing later and I was rolling on the ground, my rifle clattering far elsewhere from me.

"Agh! You little shit!" I tried to get on my fours to stand up and was rewarded with a swift kick to the ribs by those things. "KACK! FUCK!"

Even though I was on my side groaning in pain, the constructs did not stop their barrage of kicks on my exposed back and gut. Luckily, the Kevlar absorbed most of the blunt impacts and none of the hits damaged the mags, but goddamn it still fucking hurts!

"OW! OW! OW!" I shouted hoarsely, taking in the bashing as I tried to protect my neck and head. "URGH! You called that a HIT!? I've taken more beatings from a bloodsucker than your SHITTY quality metal fucks!"

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Between each loud boom, a small click sounded quickly indicating the use of a double action revolver. A golem aiming for a shield punch suddenly had both of its arms ripped from the torso, along with a chunk of its head flying off. The last shot crippled the second attacker's spear arm, giving me enough time to crawl away and go for my AR.

That's funny; I don't remember seeing wheel guns in the Zone. Normally, everything for sidearm is semi-automatic pistols and sawed off double barrels. This means that someone in our group is holding one hell of a powerful backup if it can make clean dismemberments like that, not like the .45 ACP.

At first, I thought Shishak was holding the big stick since he's been getting better guns, notably the SIG Sauer P220 (or SIP-t 200 as we call it), but that got ousted when I realized he probably needed more money in Zone to even get a bad boy like that by attempting to steal from me. It can't be Saito either because his country doesn't allow guns and he's too young to even own one anyway.

So, that leaves the mercenary in question. Unsurprisingly, I saw that he was wielding a really bulky revolver that looks like it a Smith &amp; Wesson Model 29 (how he managed to hide it on him all this time, I have no clue). Another funny note is that they were in great demands based on the movie called 'Dirty Harry'. I saw it once at the 100 RAD bar; Barkeep likes American action movies so he gets his smugglers to grab some for him. I don't know if he understands English, but who knows?

"Do you feel lucky, punk?" Three bursts later after grabbing my rifle, the offending fighter landed in front of my feet and broke down like the rest of its cohorts. If I wasn't wearing goggles, the brightness would have annoyed the hell out of me. "C'mon, is that the best you go-OOF!"

Oh COME ON!

Something tackled me down with a heavy hit. The world looked a little blurry as my vision darkened slowly.

"Farmer!" Someone called out my name, but I didn't have time to recognize the voice.

That other bronze fighter I managed to crippled blindsided me by crashing its heavy body against mine just when I was about to finish my boasting. The AN-94 clattered to the ground AGAIN as I landed hard on my back. A wave of disorientation stewed in my head while I tried to make clear of what was going on and why I was having a hard time breathing.

When my vision slowly cleared itself for a brief second, I saw a face-to-face close up of a certain Valkyrie with its unblinking stare seemingly glaring right into my unseen eyes. The damn thing was pinning me down, reaching for neck in order to choke me like a bitch. Having to be in a similar situation where my teammates can't do shit about it without the risk of harming me in the process and being in said helpless position except for the fact that everyone is watching me about to be choked like a bitch. I did the only natural thing that came to mind when dealing with this type of problem.

I screamed _very_ nasty language at it, all while trying to protect my neck and grabbing my pistol at the same time. Punching and clawing is optional, but not advisable to do so against a metallic object.

"GET THE FUCK OFF ME, YOU STUPID METAL BITCH!" Spittle of rage flew at its face as I felt the grip of the UDP Compact around my right hand. "I AM NOT A **TOASTER**!"

I could hear footsteps rushing over to help me, probably Saito's, but they soon stopped in their tracks while the golem's attempt to kill grew stronger with each lunge at my throat.

Finally, I pressed the pistol barrel a few inches away against the thing's noggin and quickly held the trigger down as I let the automatic fire do its magic.

"MY LITTLE FRIEND SAYS HI!"

* * *

_What in blazes is a 'toaster'? _Louise gapped at the loud carnage and roaring of her less stable familiar fighting for his life when one of Guiche's wounded golem snuck up near him and threw its entire body at him, successfully pinning him to the ground with its heavy weight. Despite seeing this foul mouth brute as her most unfavorable person, she couldn't help but felt a pang of fear and worry at his helpless position and automatically called his name out when she saw it happen.

What unnerved her the most is when she noticed how it is trying to grab his neck in an attempt to strangle him to death. She knew that the blond flirt would try to make an example out of the childish man, but to go so far as to try to kill one of her summoned familiars?! This was simply taking it too far, no matter how crudely inappropriate he is or how he takes his joy in angering everyone just because he thinks it is funny.

Although, she does have to admit, the sight of Guiche's face all red and twisted did pleasure her mind slightly after Farmer spoke those words that even a sailor would blush at a given time.

The execution, on the other hand, was not to her liking. Louise would've preferred if it was done her way by a more proper humiliation instead of using coarse languages much like what he did.

_Pafpafpafpafpaf!_

The oddly sounding discharge of his repeating firearm jolted everyone as they watched the now nearly headless body of the last Bronze Valkyrie slumped loosely on top of the muddy blue-white armored man before the pinkette could call out the blond mage for trying to murder one of her familiars for his callous words. A shout of triumphed cry of "YEAH, SUCK IT" erupted from the victor, who stood up to dust his body off after the construct disappeared and held his gun up high, shouting more obscene words at the crowd now whispering to each other in a mixture of awe, fear, and possibly envy.

"My god, what kind of sorcery could do this!?"

The obese blond boy tilted next to his friend in a hush voice, "That explosion was almost similar to Louise's casting. But I did not see her wand out."

"Where did these savages get such deadly weapons?"

"THIS is my BOOMHANDLE! There are many others like it, but this one is MINE!" Farmer announced at the top of his lungs then stooped over to pick up his long rifle before putting away his 'Boomhandle' or whatever nonsensical name he came up with and gave it a quick look over for possible damages.

Furthermore, how is he standing after taking such a beating? Those hits weren't pulled intentionally.

Speaking of fear, Guiche wasn't faring any better when he saw his warriors get riddled with holes and disappear into a bright light. His eyes bulged at her four familiars now coming towards him with weapons pointed at his direction. In a last ditch attempt, he conjured up a broadsword in his trembling hands and held it in front of his adversaries to ward them off.

"Stay back!" He shouted a weak warning. "Don't get any closer, you foul creatures of destruction!"

"Oh look, he has a sword!" Farmer's mocking voice mewled aloud. "Isn't that cute? Haha! Hey douche! It's over! Throw that blade away and give up! Or not; up to you if dying like a fool is your preferred end."

The defeated mage backed away as he got closer, "Keep him away from me!"

This only amused the armored man further, prompting him to speed up his walking, "Aww! Are you afraid that I'll try to fondle you again? C'mere and give me a huggggg~."

"I will not let your tainted paws defile my purity held only for the maidens!" Guiche gave an unmanly shriek in despair as his eyes widened at the possible outcome that will soon be upon him.

"Ahahahaha! Look at his face! He's bugging out!" Farmer high-pitched laughter nearly made her want to cast another fireball spell on him, but she held that urge down and tried to muster her commanding voice to get his attention. Unknowingly, the man took the opportunity to get a running start within swinging range of the flirt's sword and, at an abnormal burst of speed, swatted it out of his hands before the former could comprehend how close he is then knocked Guiche down with a back handed slap to the face with a right swing.

The boy's body was splayed on the ground in a tumbled mess after reeling from fast impact against his face. A soft moan of pain can be heard from him as Guiche rolled on his back and felt a small swelling from where he was hit at, letting out an "Agh…" in the process when he touched it. Farmer kicked the sword away from him to make sure he wouldn't be a danger before placing the rifle in one of his armpits and removing the left glove to see a glowing rune very similar to Saito's.

The fact that he got in front of him almost at an instant puzzled her, much like the same expression he was showing after Farmer shook his head and muttered something on the lines that she heard such as "…probably adrenaline rush" and "Crazy voodoo bullshit".

Her other three familiars, or 'partners' as she will have to call them by now, walked up behind him as he put the glove back on, turned around towards one of them and asked the stern face mercenary to hold his weapon while he went to "teach this ungrateful shithead a lesson" in his own words, not hers.

The hooded man, the one who comforted her earlier, Shishak, tried to intervene and said in mild anger that, "What you might be suggesting would be going too far. He should have learned his lesson by now."

Of course, being the unwilling hard head that he is, Farmer then replied with, "A lesson is only good when the person fully understands it. Haughty people like him needs to learn it the hard way, otherwise they will only cause more problems in the future," and soon finished his sentence with the usual profanity of "so fuck off. I know what I'm doing."

With both hands free to do what he needed to do, the eccentric man hoisted Guiche by the front collar and held him face-to-face with each other. The boy took rapid breaths at having to see a close-up of his would be defiler and let out a whimper at the bared teeth Farmer showed him.

"You scared? Of course you are; we kicked your ass. Now, here's how things are going to happen…"

* * *

"…there are some people I want you to apologize. Two of them that didn't deserve your insults; one of them is among the crowd but is too frightened to show herself, which reminds me…"

Farmer craned his neck around and shouted the maid's name loudly, "Siesta! Hey, Siesta! Come out, someone wants to tell you something!"

Saito looked for the tell-tale sign of a maid uniform and thought that she wouldn't come out to deal with all the attention directed at her. He knew that Siesta didn't like being noticed by those above her, so he assumed that it was unlikely she will show her face. Fortunately, he was wrong when the young woman timidly step out from the large group of students with the rest of the population's prying eyes staring at her barely noticeable tremoring. Saito noticed that her eyes were looking at the ground as Siesta made her way toward him and the rest of the stalkers, noting the troubled expression shown on her face. She wasn't frightened anymore, but the feeling of complete focus on her might have made her nervous when Farmer called her name.

"Oh, there you are!" He exclaimed cheerfully while unceremoniously dropping him in front of her. "Been wondering where you've been. So, here's the boy I was talking about. Douche, meet Siesta; Siesta, meet douche."

Without waiting for any replies towards his gallows humor, Farmer unholsters his pistol and aimed it at Guiche's head as he tried to stand back up. "Alright then, get on your knees and apologize to her."

"I, Wha-!?"

"I said GET on YOUR KNEES and say you're sorry!" He hollered at him. "And SAY IT like you MEAN IT!"

The mage quickly complied, setting the front of his legs flat against the ground and looked up at maid as he begin to apologize, "I'm s-sorry…"

"I'm sorry WHO?"

"I'm sorry S-siesta, for falsely accusing you of my own fault."

"Annnnnnd~?" Farmer growled menacingly, nudging the barrel against the back of his head.

"And for attempting to inflict harm upon you!" Guiche added quickly.

"And I WILL…?"

"And I will never do it again!"

"Good… good…" He nodded, grabbing him by the back collar and dragging him to Louise. "Up next is her; same as before!"

Guiche gulped and was roughly thrown in front of the pinkette as he tried to scramble to his knees, with Farmer still pointing his sidearm at him. "Agh! I'm sorry Louise, for calling you a Zero all this time and for trying to ruin your reputation in front of everyone. I will never do it again."

Louise looked at him with a somewhat mollified composure and replied with, "Annnd~?"

"Uhhh, umm…"

"And that she is the greatest WHAT that you've ever met?" Farmer shared her grin, flashing a thumb up.

"And that she is the greatest mage that I have ever met in my life!"

"Alright, next is that brown caped girl… what is her name? Katie… right! Hey, Katie!" Farmer did as he always do best and called her out.

He didn't need to look hard enough to find her standing at the front, surprise and fear plastered all over her face when he flung the boy's trembling body rashly to her.

"You know the drill, so get to it!" The Stalker intoned, pretending to check his finger nails.

The blond boy sucked in a pained breath of air and tilted his head downward, before having it forced back up by the enthusiastic prodding from his captor.

"Ah, ah! Look into her eyes before you give her a proper apology!" A wagging finger was sent at him. "You broke her heart, so now you have to be responsible for it."

"Ah-h-h, y-yes, of course…" Guiche cleared his throat nervously and did as he is told, "…I am most humbly regretful of my shameful actions and wish to apologize for playing with your affection. Please forgive me, Katie." He finished it off with a solemn bow from his head.

"I-I-I…" The brunette looked conflicted with her feelings, having trouble answering back in return. It took her a while to come up with a coherent reply as they waited, but finally she managed to say quietly "Y-you are forgiven" and looked away from him.

The slightest crack of relief was faint in his eyes as he was about to respond gratefully, until it was utterly interrupted by the rough yanking of his collar from his tormenter.

"Come on, one more to go." Farmer said in a sing-song voice. "Don't want to keep your young fiancée waiting now, would we?"

Just like the last girl, Saito spotted the mage's betrothed coming towards both of them. Instead of fear, however, he saw that she was frowning heavily out of concern or annoyance. Or both, as his mentally questionable friend would have pointed out by now.

"Please, don't hurt him any further," she urged him calmly while her tone held firm, "it is quite enough for you to knock the idiocy out of his head and scare him witless with your lewd insanity act."

_Ooh, did she just insult her own boyfriend? _Saito grinned, with the rest of his adult friends standing by with various expressions. Shishak looked peeved at Farmer's unorthodox method of making the snob go through the humiliation, but could not help but chuckle at the way he scared him out of his skull. Cutler, being who he is, showed no facial changes other than the perpetual frowning.

And Farmer, acting out of whim, decided to play it cool and rambunctious at the same time.

Farmer cocked his head in amusement with a wide smirk, "Oh, so you know what I was doing?"

"Well, obviously! I'm not surprised that _he_, the fourth son of General Gramont, did not fully recognize your foul play in the first place before the start of the duel." The blonde drill haired girl, Montmorency, answered in her subtle explanation.

"Yeah, he was all like '_I'm so handsome that even the fairest maidens fall over for me!_' and crap, plus he was shirking away from his responsibility so it's not hard to guess about his ego."

"Still, that doesn't excuse your behavior to treat my betrothed so harshly, despite him somewhat deserving it." The aristocrat mage glared at the black visor.

"That doesn't excuse him for acting like a total shithead by flaunting his talent around like a wet rag." The Stalker further emphasized his point by waving his hands around in the air, pistol still held in the right, and raised his pitch higher much like what an immature person would do. "_Oh look at me! I have magic and shit, so I can do whatever I want! Blah blab blah! Look at me wave my little stick around!_"

"My, aren't you the _rebel_." Louise loudly deadpanned.

"I'd be careful with what you say, Louise," Cutler spoke in his usual dense tone, "he might actually take your word for it."

Farmer stopped his teasing to laugh at the mercenaries rarely heard jabs while the blonde drilled girl's frown grew darker at him for his offensive insult.

"Us Nobles are entitled to our power, so it would not be wise to belittle their status so openly." She slowly fumed, switching her glare toward the stoic man. "Nor is it wise to joke of rebellion in a time of peace."

Cutler met the girl's challenge with a hard stare of his own, "Peace? Your idea of 'peace' will not last any longer if the rest of the population grow intolerant of your narrow-minded beliefs and decided that enough is enough. Who would be blamed for breaking the peace then, the commoners or the nobles?"

Montmorency eye's shot daggers at Cutler and nearly shouted, "The commoners, of course!"

The mercenary could only shake his head at the clear display of ignorance and let out a huff of disappointment. "Then this era is bound to fall sooner than later."

"A-and what is that supposed to MEAN?!" Whatever tranquil calmness inside her mind had soon dissipated into flustering anger as the mage tried to come up with any good comeback.

"Find out for yourself." He replied without a hint of care, before narrowing eyes at the gurgling noise near him. "I'm famished."

He turned to Farmer with the same straight face and said, "Take care of your business fast."

"Yeah, I'm starving too." Farmer responded with a sheepish grin, patting Guiche's shoulder roughly.

Same as the other apologies, Farmer didn't need to tell him what to do and only commented about "putting more effort into his apology to her" and that "he should be lucky that he even has a relationship with someone who is willing to put up with him". Looking at how Guiche's face was filled with shock at the short exchange his fiancée and his sworn opponent said about him, Saito found it hilarious that the two of them would hold a conversation that involved insulting the person who was supposed to win the duel because of magic, but got beaten by improvised strategy, simple legwork, and firepower.

The Japanese boy soon felt the rumbling of his stomach, realizing the disappointed anticipation of having to deal with cold food in a can and bread again. For once, he wanted hot food that was not processed to last as he gave heavy sigh and felt a pat on his back, along with a friendly chuckle.

"You are hungry, yes?" Shishak smiled, watching the Stalker put away his sidearm and grabbing the rifle back from the stern mercenary. "So am I. Though, I was hoping we would not have to eat cold canned meat again."

"Tell me about it," the boy gave a small smirk, looking to the side, "it would've been better to save the preserved edibles and go with the ones cooked in this school."

The bartender nodded in agreement, "Indeed. It would be much smarter that way. But, as they say here, only the _nobles_ can have good food while the rest have to make do with the basic staple." He mentioned the given name bitterly.

"Only the nobles, huh?" Saito frowned, still bothered by his empty stomach and his desire for better food. "Well, it's not going to be an issue for us if we can find an alternative source other than depending on Farmer's supplies."

Shishak bobbed his head again, "That is true, young man. There are other ways to get what we need; many things… in fact."

From the corner of his eye, the boy noticed how the blond man seemed distracted by something on his mind. The way he trailed off was an obvious sign.

"Make way! Please clear a way for me!"

Before he could question him further about it, a different voice sounded nearby. The crowd made way for the approaching person, which happens to be the same teacher who examined the runes on their left hands.

"Oh?" The bartender turned around to look at the commotion.

"Oh my." The balding professor exclaimed rather quietly at the destructive scene marked all over stone courtyard. Pockmarks of holes riddled the ground while a small crater caused by an explosion was surrounded by large connecting cracks. Bits of metal littered all over the ground, most notably the oddly shaped container and broken bits that looked to be bronze.

His eyes scanned over toward the four out-of-place commoners and the three students still standing on the ruined battleground, one of them getting up from his knees. As he got closer, he overheard Guiche de Gramont's voice ringing out in sheer bafflement as if he could not believe his ears.

"Wait, so you're NOT going to ravish me?"

What in Brimir's name is he talking about!? **Ravishing**?

"Uh… what? **No**, of course not! I only said all those things just to piss you off! I don't swing that way, boy." The man in the blue-white armor explained, chuckling at his own folly. "Look, just don't do it again, alright?"

"Oh, thank Brimir! I thought you were actually serious!" He shouted out of relief.

"But," Farmer darkened his tone into a threatening voice as he got closer to his face, "the next time I catch you pulling this shit again, I'll do **worse** than before. Understand?"

Guiche looked at the man fearfully and quickly nodded.

"Good… Now, why don't you head off with your fiancée and think of what happened today." Right after he finished his sentence, the blond dot mage excused himself and was followed suit by Montmorency as they left in a hurry.

. . .

This was going to be a _very_ _long_ day.

* * *

"Back so soon, Mr. Cutler?" A green haired woman wearing a similar outfit like the bald Harry Potter greeted the merc in a teasing manner. She was seated behind a desk, doing paperwork much like what secretaries would do. "I suppose you're still keeping your friends from completely damaging everything around them, hm?"

"Miss Longueville." Cutler responded stoically and gave a brief nod.

Oh? So the merc has been busy for quite some time… hah, I don't blame him if he's trying to pick up a good looking lady while we were about to start the fight without him.

Hell, look at those oranges; if he ends up with her, then good for him.

Alright, so what are we looking at here? Large bookshelves filled to the brim with unknown tomes, a glass door cabinet also filled with books and scrolls, table, etc… etc…

…and a large classical desk with someone tall and wizened at it.

Sitting behind the grand desk is an old man with graying long hair that almost matched his trailing great beard. A wooden staff is rested against the side of the work station. The top of the desk seemed sparse, other than a few stray books neatly stacked on the side and some trinkets. From the looks of him, he's probably the headmaster of this educational establishment.

"I see our guests have arrived," The old man announced as he stood up from his seat to give us a serious look over while we stood there returning the gaze, "and just as peculiarly dressed like your military companion. We don't see that many outsiders with garments such as yours."

Well, that's obviously true. What person would appear wearing armored bodysuits, trench coats, and modern sweater jackets in a magical medieval setting anyway?

Then again, what person like Louise fidgeting nearby and the rest of the students here would wear school uniforms that almost resembled the ones I see on high schoolers in this world as well?

"I see the four of you have been very busy wreaking havoc in the courtyard, correct?" He continued on, observing us with keen eyes and hands crossed behind his back. "And from what I heard lately, involved in a duel against a student of this academy, no less."

I raised my hand up before more words can be said from him.

"Yes?" The headmaster asked.

"So… uh, are we in trouble for this?" I gave a casual question. "Because that blond fop had it coming since he was treating the non-magic people in this first-rate school like crap and I wanted to teach him a lesson of modesty. Also, he was being a major jerkass to Louise."

A sharp gasp was emitted from Louise at my free use of words and she quickly reprimanded me for it, "You do not talk to the Headmaster so carelessly like that, familiar! A highly esteemed mage should be spoken with respect!"

Of course, being me, I just brushed her off with a simple handwave, "Not even going to bother if I don't know him anyway. Besides, mage or not, he's just a normal old gramp with nothing better to do."

With that, I turned my attention to the old timer and said with a wide grin, "Isn't that right, pops?"

Like any other dramatic scene, the room was filled with silence and tension at my blatant introduction. Baldy Potter shot me a look of mild shock, while the secretary showed small signs of hidden amusement. Louise made some indignant noises and glared daggers at my stupid face. The rest of the gang was indifferent, having gotten used to my rash antics and quirky personality.

Although, Shishak's scowling still meant that he did not approve of my behavior but said nothing for now. Saito also sported a puzzled frown, but did the same like the bandit.

The Gandalf lookalike nearly squeezed his eyelids into a tight squint, staring at my visor with scrutiny. He strokes his beard as if contemplating what he should do about my blunt words.

"Few have ever spoken to me in such manners." He replied with narrowed eyes.

The old man leaned closer without breaking eye contact and softly whispered, "Especially without a hint of care."

Both of us went at it for a long time as the large office grew quieter, with only our presence stressing the matter no one wanted to speak of right now.

. . .

. . .

. . .

I didn't know exactly long it went, but I was sure we were going past five minutes.

. . .

. . .

And after those minutes had past, the old coot finally gave his reaction; something that we could relate to when he began to open his mouth.

"HOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!"

Tossing his head back with arms wrapped around his sides, he bellowed it out with a reedy, but hearty, laugh at us. All sense of seriousness was instantly dissolved inside the room as I joined in with a loud chuckle of my own. After things were settled down, Gandalf's twin plopped down to his seat and wiped the tears away from his jolly eyes.

"Few have ever figured out my true personality at first glance! Let alone speak to me as if we have something in common. Ahh, those were the good old days of my youth!"

Still keeping my silly grin, I nodded along and asked, "You must be quite the adventurer, eh?"

"Mostly a traveling mage in search knowledge, but adventurer would also be correct." The old man gave a quiet sigh. "Time goes by as quickly as a blink of an eye, so to speak. No more long travels like I used to do, no more perilous dangers to face, and no more maidens to woo now that I am old."

"And it should be kept that way," his secretary butted in a matter-of-fact tone, "your health is not as great as it used to be. That is why it is best for you to live your life at its tender moments."

"Hm? Tender, you say." Following his gaze, I saw that he was casually eyeing the green-haired woman with perversion in his pupils. "I can't really argue with that."

My god, I'm starting to like this guy more and more. He reminds me of that one guy in a group I temporarily joined up with back when I was searching for the Firefly in Jupiter. Something 'Beekeeper'? I don't know. He tends to joke around a lot, but likes to complain about not having chicks around and even emphasized the point by humping his AK in front of us one time.

Yep, those were days when nobody thought of me as a psycho killer, not like at Zaton. I was beginning to enjoy their company, too. Had some good laughs, a score of shared artifacts, and vodka/weed moments.

Ehh…

"Oh, how rude of me! I almost forgot about introductions." The cool old perve clapped his hands together once and then unclasped them to wave his arms around certain directions. "I am Osmond, headmaster of this academy. You have already met Professor Colbert before, and over there is my secretary, Miss Longueville."

Without missing a beat, he also added, "And no. None of you are in any sort of trouble other than to discuss about what had happened in the Vestri Courtyard. So, without any other off-topic conversations, let us hear your side of the story after introducing yourselves."

I gave a short nod. "Alright, so I'm Farmer. You probably met Cutler before."

"Indeed." The merc intoned.

"I am Shishak." The pseudo-bartender joined in.

The boy mentioned his name as well, "And my name is Saito."

Osmond's brows were raised at my given name, "You're actually called Farmer?"

I grinned once more and nodded. "Yep, it's my last name. Some people call me Pavlo."

Now, it was Colbert's turn to question my name, "Your first name is 'Small'?"

"I didn't give myself that name. It's a bit of a long story, you see."

Huh, I didn't know they could understand Ukrainian. Oh, right, the automatic universal translation thing going on here. How could I forget?

The headmaster gave an 'ah' of understanding and proceeded to the main topic of the day by gesturing us to explain our side of the story.

"So, who's going to begin?" I asked around, looking toward the guys.

Shishak shrugged. Saito didn't seem talkative for some reason. And Cutler, as usual, clammed up.

Right, that means I'll have to do it then.

"Okay, so… yeah…" I started off slowly. "…we were at the dining hall after Louise's class ended, just hanging around and minding our business until we saw…"

* * *

"Arrrgh! SHIT!" Dwarf's head nearly got caught by the jaws of a blind dog jumping up with teeth wide open. "I'm telling you, I saw NOTHING!"

Someone on the rusted deck of the ship hollered "Liar!" while another suggested that they should lower his body further for the mutants to take a few chunks of him, earning a few agreed shouts in the process.

"I'm telling you the truth!" The tied bandit hanging upside down cried hysterically, dodging another set of lunges from the small pack barking below him. "Please let me go!"

"Where is your buddy and what were you doing in that room handcuffed?!" One of the Loners demanded, tugging the rope that was running over a wall. "And where is Pavlo!?"

"Who cares about Pavlo!" Someone shouted over the noise. "That guy is a nutcase, from what I heard. They were probably going to rob him out of his artifacts that he killed for."

"That's not true! He got Petruha out of the Boiler and led them to shelter when an Emission was coming; asked Awl yourself if you don't believe what I said."

One bandit joined in with a smug sneer, "He only does that to curry favors so they'll owe him for it. He is no different than us."

"Yeah, except he has no problems shooting you assholes." The loner fired back an insult.

"Hahaha! Oh yeah, I heard that he saved a rookie from those bastards!"

"Hey, fuck you dipshit!"

"Why don't you make me, bandit scum!" The man taunted.

"How about I make you shit lead out of your-!"

_BAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAP!_

A burst of gunfire pointed at the air from Spartacus' AKS/74 silenced the writhing crowd while driving the Blind Dogs away from the small cargo ship. "Enough! There will be no fighting on neutral ground! Anyone who even thinks of touching his shooter will be kicked off personally by me!"

Grumbles and protest was heard from them until he let loose another burst toward the sky. "Shut the hell up and listen carefully! Skadovsk is home to all, no matter stalker or bandit! You want to fight it out? Then you do it elsewhere!"

After no one spoke a word against him, he went on to address the situation. "Now, it seems we have a problem here; a couple of bandits up to no good deciding to rob a fellow brother, yes?"

"He is no brother to us!" A veteran Loner spat on the ground. "That rat is worse than the bandits we've faced! The Farmer comes and waits out every battle, before taking our loot!"

"Bullshit!" An experienced stalker spoke out in protest. "He has helped some of us survived longer here than any other expert would have done! I should've been dead if not for him!"

"Yeah, he is like Noah; only, less crazy and paranoid. He is still weird, though."

"Oh god, that Noah is funny as shit!"

"Oh oh!" One of the stalkers piped up. "Did you know his 'ark' actually saved a group of our guys from an emission and a huge swarm of mutants afterwards?"

Someone snapped their finger after hearing that, "Yeah, I heard about that. Must be really intense!"

"Or the time he freaked out when he thought it was raining mutants."

"Nah, I heard it differently from someone. It was about an artifact."

"I heard he did his usual greeting with the military guys one time and they went in to detain him for it. But then, at the same time, he tried to detain _them_!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Hoohoohohoohoo!"

"KAKAKAKAKAK!"

Spartacus could only stare dumbly at the spectacles of guffawing stalkers mixed with some of the bandits clutching their sides at the old news. Even if it happened a long time ago, Noah's shenanigans were still popular amongst small talks.

Somehow, it got turned into a phrase of "Pulling a Noah" whenever someone does something extremely stupid but managed to walk it out alive and look smart.

"I remember that time when Filibert Valentin went to get a compass from him, and got his ass knocked down because we forgot to tell him about Noah's shotgun greeting."

"Hah! He's lucky that exoskeleton of his took most of the pellets!" Someone snorted.

Spartacus sighed and rubbed his forehead annoyingly, then tried to bring the main topic back in hand, "Guys, we're supposed to be focusing on the break-in."

Of course, as he said this, they were either too preoccupied to listen or just didn't care to pay any attention.

"Man, have you seen any weird shit going on lately? There's been talk about stalkers disappearing all around the Zone."

"There are always people going missing in the Zone! It's either death by anomalies or being eaten by mutants."

"Guys..." He tried again.

A stalker shook his head, "No way! A Freedom guy at Jupiter once told me that his squad were out on patrol one time and came across a green light hovering in mid-air. One of them wanted to check it out, but the guy got sucked in right away when he got too close!"

"They were probably high off their asses! The weed grown here can make a person see things."

"Guys!"

"The Dutyers also came across the green light. They steered clear of it when it started flashing colors enough to cause epilepsy."

"It's probably just a new anomaly," Nimble mumbled and stretched his arms wide, yawning loudly, "weird shit always happen in the Exclusion Zone."

"That is true." Beard frowned. "There have been rumors of decreased fighting in Pripyat all because of this mysterious phenomenon appearing more often over there. Squads of fighters taken without a trace, as if swallowed by randomly appeared Space Anomalies; such activities have attracted more scientists and mercenaries to the dead city."

Now intrigued by the small talk, and not wanting to waste more ammunition, Spartacus heaved one last sigh and joined in to listen.

"Someone tie that fool to something until we get back to the matter in hand." He ordered.

The Loner holding the rope complied, not wanting to miss out on the interesting discussion as he knotted the rope around somewhere.

"But what about Limansk? I haven't heard from my friends over there since last week." One of the usual rookies questioned with unease. "They were supposed to call back on the long-range ham radio two days ago."

"Limansk? That place is a huge warzone compared to Pripyat. Almost all the factions are trying to take control of it in order to gain access to the power plant and goodies inside the city. Your friends are probably dead or turned into zombies, either way."

"Urrrgh…" Dwarf groaned, feeling the vertigo creeped into his head. "…Someone put me down! I don't feel good!"

"Shut up, shithead! We're having an important discussion right now!" The arms dealer shouted.

"F-f-fuc-k-k y-y-yooooou…"

* * *

"…and then we kicked his ass and taught him the meaning of not being a complete dickwad." I smiled crisply, relishing in the further shock from the few occupants in the room.

Unsurprisingly, Louise shot me a dirty look while Colbert continued to frown at my casual swearing. The rest were impassive, with the old man and the secretary allowing faint smiles of amusement on their faces.

Osmond let out a small chuckle and puffed his engraved pipe (I wonder what he's smoking and where can I get that stuff?), setting it down for moment before speaking.

"Does your lesson of proper modesty also require you to openly threaten my student with violent sodomy, destroying the Vestri Courtyard in an overly use of destructive means, openly mocking the use of magic and the birthright Nobles, and feigning insanity just to strike fear into the hearts of the younglings?"

With one finger raised in the air, my only answer was a simple, "Yes."

. . .

. . .

"And I suppose calling the forth son of the great General Gramont a male prostitute after pretending to threaten him with said-sodomy was absolutely necessary for him to learn about respect?" The old man added, taking another puff from the exotic pipe.

"Haven't you heard? Fear makes a _great_ motivator!" I cheerfully piped up. "How else is he going to listen?"

Professor Colbert made a face that leaned toward slight disapproval and nervousness, "So that clearly justify your actions of extremity upon a Dot-Mage who is ignorant of his own actions?"

"There is a difference between ignorance and denial." I corrected him. "Guess which one applied to the boy."

"Well, you certainly are a _saint_." He dryly replied at my smug grin and gave a brief shake of his head.

I could only smile innocently at his reaction, revealing a set of yellowed teeth as I tilted my head down. This made Colbert flinched slightly at my display of open-handed gesture, but he hid it well from the others.

The headmaster stood up with a glint in his eyes, "You two would certainly make interesting friends with each other."

"If he doesn't drive them away, that is." The merc said his two cents without missing a cue.

"Or if he had any in the _first_ place." Shishak followed through with a light scoff and a small scowl.

Oh, snap! Now THAT is a burn!

"Aww, I love you guys too!" I goofily exclaimed, spreading my arms out as sign of hugs.

Saito laughed lightheartedly at the eased feeling until he heard another hunger pang surge in his small gut. He rubbed his head sheepishly and felt the emptiness in his stomach. "Ehehehe, sorry about that."

"Oh? That remind me, we need to get some chow." I said to the rest of the gang, before turning to the wise old coot. "So can we get going, pops?"

He gave a small nod and made a shooing motion, blowing a smoke ring in the air as he did so, "You are free to leave now. We appreciate your time spent here. Try not to cause any more trouble, Farmer."

"No promises, old man." I gave a quick mock-salute and turned tail to the double doors with a tinny hum. The rest did the same and followed along through the hallway. "I'm starved!"

"More canned goods," Shishak grumbled quietly from behind, "how nice."

"Oh, quit your complaining! It's not that bad!"

"Easy for you to say; depending on this crap for a long time gives me stomach troubles. I miss eating borscht!" He exclaimed with an eye roll.

Saito raised a question of his own while walking between Shishak and I, "What is borscht?"

"Borscht! Ahh, my favorite dish!" The fake-bartender could not help but rub his hands together as he began to explain. "It is a Ukrainian soup of many, many things. Very delicious when different ingredients are added! Smooth broth soup of anything, including various spices, with shredded cabbage, sliced turnips, and diced dill leaves! Umph!"

"But sadly, I do not know how to cook it. Only know how to mix drink, like Small Farmer said." The thin man sadly acknowledged his lack of culinary skills.

Whether or not he actually knew how to make drinks is entirely unknown to me, but I suppose he could learn few things about mixing if the bandit leader is not what I labeled him as. Furthermore, what the hell is he talking about? Borscht is easy to make! Sure, it's hard to find clean ingredients in the radioactive Zone but with a non-rusted pot, cooking utensils, clean water, and whatever you can buy from the hub vendor, anything is possible to make. Borscht is really that simple.

"You know," I started off with a grin, "I actually know how to cook borscht myself. It's not that hard to make. But, maybe if you get on my 'good side' I might actually consider making you some."

Of course, Shishak would perk up at the possibility of consuming his favorite food. I actually like borscht too, just not as fervently as him. This could go well in my advantage.

I mean, when you're in the Zone for a very long time, what kind of things would a desperate man crave for? Good food, uncommon luxuries, women… the list goes on.

This is one of the things going in my direction.

"What kind of borscht!?" The blond bandit nearly shouted. "Will it have the traditional ingredients?!"

I lightly chuckled at his desperation for the hearty stew, "It depends on what I can find in this land. I'm sure they would have what you are talking about, but if not then I'll have to improvise."

When I turned my head around, wanting to see what face he was making, I then noticed that Louise was nowhere to be seen. In fact, I haven't even heard a peep from her right after we left the Headmaster's office. I sort of figured that she was so mad at me that it was useless trying to talk to someone who is unlikely to listen to everything thrown at them. Probably all the shit I said to everyone back at the duel must've given them the idea of me being a psycho rapist murderer with a thing for boys. She probably wants some time alone and/or tells everyone that I'm not what they assumed I am depicted as to clear up the misunderstanding.

Eh, I don't blame her if she's embarrassed about my act. Quite frankly, I'm rather more comfortable if those kids stayed away from me. It's not that I hate teenagers (with Saito being the prominent example); it's just that their snooty behavior annoys me a lot. Granted, not every noble is going to act like that, but you can never be too careful. Sometimes, even the nice ones are very suspicious.

Then again, anyone could be guilty of something. I'm just saying it never hurts to be more careful around an environment you don't know about. You may never know what might actually happen at any given second.

A possible pursuit of vengeance? Social class discrimination? Just for no apparent reason?

Like I said, the list goes on.

And then there are the people with me. I know I can trust Saito with my life since we're cool like that (once I train him to use different shooters properly), but what about the other two? Shishak is a fucking bandit who could probably steal my shit without me watching him for a few seconds and the merc is a bit shady with him not talking much and appearing out of the blue. The way I look at it, the person who doesn't talk a lot is usually the ones you have to watch out for.

That blue haired short girl with the staff and glasses looks mighty tricky, if you ask me. Sure she's adorable, but how do I know she's not trained to kill? Man, the possibilities are endless.

Guiche the douchebag tried to kill me. Emphasis: _tried_. How do I know he's not going to come back for revenge?

Hell, anyone in this fucking magical school could kill me. The only problem is who will go after me?

. . .

. . .

I should rig traps the moment I find a good hidey hole. Stashes are still the main plan, but I'm going to need a well hidden place to stay in if shit hits the fan. A safe house would do me wonders if I can find a good location; maybe some hills to dig through like those hobbits in Lord of the Rings. They had the right idea.

All I need is to slip away before anyone notices me gone and explore around the area outside of the academy.

God, I wish I was back in the Zone. At least it's a land that I _recognize_ and know it will kill me if I even let my guard down for a split second.

This place just makes me feel tingly… and not the pedophiliac kind of feeling.

"Hey, Farmer…" Saito asked me in a strange tone. "Why are you running into that pillar repeatedly?"

Huh?

Blinking once, I felt the cold touch of marble against my chin and backed away from it in confusion. A few bystanders stared at me for a moment before turning away when they thought I was looking toward their directions. A few others walked as quickly from our group to avoid garnering attention to themselves. Nobody laughed as the corridor we occupied was soon void of all students trying their best to get as far from me as possible.

. . .

. . .

Goddamnit, I'm doing it again. Quick, I need an excuse!

"Well," I flashed a smirk towards the remaining group of dudes, "I haven't slept much lately, heh."

Nobody said a word as I shook off the mild weariness from my head and readjusted my gear. Holding the AN-94 (I don't know why I keep referring it as the AC-96/2) properly, I made sure nothing was amiss before we continued on to whatever the hell we felt like going.

"Should we head back to the dining hall or just eat outside?" The Japanese boy pondered loudly.

I shook my head in negatory at the former option, "No way in hell I'm planning to go back to that fancy cafeteria. That place is just bad luck for us."

"I would have to agree with him on this one." Cutler spoke firmly. "It is safe to assume that we not going to be welcomed back there the next time we ever set foot inside."

"So we are going to eat outside, then?" Shishak replied in question, checking the safety of his Viper (or MP5).

"Seems like it." My shoulders lifted into shrug. "Maybe this time, we might have hot food in a can by setting up a campfire."

Saito wasn't very enthused about eating canned goods again from the look of his face, but he soon gave a short puff of a sigh in defeat and was about to say something before someone cut him off.

"Saito! Farmer!" Siesta's sweet voice rang out like bells as her footsteps sounded not from where we have been standing at for a couple of minutes. "I found you!"

Yes, you have found us, so what happens next?

Without a warning, she quickly wrapped Saito with a heartfelt hug as her upper body was pressed tightly against his chest. The young man elicits a small noise of surprise and instantly felt the blood rushing to his face at the unexpected embrace.

And probably her breasts, too.

Still clinging to him, she said in a touched voice, "That was the most incredible act of courage that not anyone would have ever done, thank you for standing up for me! I am gratefully in your debt!"

"W-well, uh… it was n-nothing! That's what friends are for, right?" Saito responded with a nervous, but reassuring tone. "And I wasn't the only one protecting you."

The maid's eyes flickered to the three of us and let out a small gasp before letting the boy go just to rushed in front of me. Her eyes were wide with worry as she gleaned over my body for injuries with both hands clasped together.

"I'm sorry! Are you alright?" She exclaimed, standing before me rather adorably. "Do you need to see a healer?"

"Whoa, whoa there!" I calmly chuckled, grinning. "No need to throw a panic. I'm actually pretty good! Just a few bruises and stuff, but I can walk it off."

She was about to continue on with the apologizing, but I quickly assured her with a big smile, "I told you the armor isn't just for show. Besides, friends look out for each other. You don't know me at all, yet you treated me like a normal person. How can I ever forget about that?"

And speaking of show, the merc has some explaining to do after pulling out that spiffy hand cannon from whatever hidden holster he kept it in.

Siesta bowed her head once and beamed a radiant smile of her own as she turned to Shishak and Cutler, "I am very glad that all of you have had come out just fine. I am deeply grateful for your act of kindness."

Shishak smiled sweetly, causing the young woman to blush at his pretty face, and nodded. "We are only doing the right thing. Think nothing of it, dearie."

As for the merc, he gave an expressionless nod and said nothing.

. . .

Yeah, he's just like that. What a magnet.

"Hey," I turned to Cutler and wanted to ask him about that hidden gun pull, "I thought you said you only have a knife on you."

The stern merc replied without any given care, "I lied."

Ooooooh! Well, that is to be expected. Mercs, bandits, loners, and anyone else with enough craftiness would do that. I would have done the same thing too if I had hidden pockets on me. The PMn would make a great hidden backup, just in case.

Hmm… I wonder if I can teach Louise how shoot a gun? Actually, that might get Shishak more pissed at me if I even mention that openly. Still, she might need something else to defend herself if her wand broke or some wizardry stuff that I don't know.

"I can see why you call yourself Cutler, always sharp and to the point." Spot on! That was a good one!

"Nice!" Saito held his fist out for a bump, to which I gladly accepted.

Of course, Cutler did not even crack a smile at my clever pun. No chuckle ever arises from him at all. I'm starting to think he may have been trained in a military boot camp at a young age to not show any emotion or that he got screwed in the head so much in the Zone that he is incapable of expressing himself because of the everyday mindfuck. I'm not sure which to pick from, but it's obvious that he might need help.

For me, I'm rather worst off than him if I think people are out to kill me for no apparent reason other than being dicks. Realistically in the Zone, it could possibly happen. One minute you're minding your own business, the next some asshole is picking from your head drilled corpse all because he wanted what you have. I think him and I are no different from each other; the only thing I would never do is kill someone for money and cold bloodedly unless that person fucked with me personally, my buddies, or had it coming.

I.E. Bandits, Military, Mercenaries, etc.

Hey, I said wouldn't accept assassination contracts to kill for profit only, but that doesn't stop me from getting revenge on said-target so it's a double payday.

"How did you even hide that bad boy from us anyway?" I jabbed my index at his now holstered revolver strapped on his right thigh. "And what is its barrel length?"

"You weren't paying attention to the other ammunition pouch," he patted it the somewhat larger bag on his left hip, "nor did you even bothered to search us before we got here. Along with that, it is 6.5 inches."

He's right about that. I didn't have time to search or the thought never came to mind since I was mainly focused on calling out for help. Another question is why he didn't take the chance to pull it out and threaten me with it? A gun like that would've kept me quiet if I didn't know he was going to take me alive.

Oh yeah, right. The noise of that gun could have alerted everyone in the ship if something went wrong for him; those loud shots would wake the dead, for sure. Plus, being stuck in a single door room with a ship full of panicking stalkers would not do him any good.

Before anyone could question him further, he then said, "We need to eat. I am hungry and tired."

This is where Siesta came in, all smiling and cheery at his abrupt mention of food, "I believe I can repay you properly for that. We can go to the kitchen and serve you the leftover foods from the Noble's supper. It's a staff meal, but I'm sure it would be to your liking and there should be plenty of servings if any of you want to go for seconds."

"Anything will help." Cutler replied to the point. "We appreciate it greatly."

"Wow, thanks Siesta!" Saito felt more touched by her freely given acts of kindness.

Shishak gave a polite nod, "You have my thanks, my dear."

I was about to say my thanks as well when I felt her arms wrapped around my chest and her body closed to mine in a heartfelt embrace. Almost as if my breath was pulled out of me, I felt frozen at my spot by her warm touch. It wasn't that I didn't expect her to hug me so quickly or the pain of my slowly healing ribs being compressed.

It was just that I forgot how a woman's touch would feel like after all these times fending for myself in the Zone. All the aches and turmoil of internal fear and distrust nearly washed off at an instant by her innocence, like a heavy rainstorm moving away to reveal clear skies.

It felt like my mind was flying from this pure sensation.

. . .

"Farmer?"

. . .

My god, where have I gone to? Why do I feel so calm?

"Farmer?" The maid looked up to me with slight worry in her voice.

Why is my chest tightening up?

. . .

. . .

"Are you alright, Farmer?" She repeated her question, placing the back of her hand against my face to see if I was feeling well.

Saito's voice cut in, sharing her concern as well, "He must be spacing out. It's probably from the lack of sleep he mentioned."

"Well, he was running into a pillar just recently…"

. . .

What is this feeling?

. . .

. . .

. . !?

"Agh…"

"Hm?"

_Rrrrrrrrggggh!_

Oh god, what is this feeling in my stomach?!

"Agggggh!" I let out a pained groan, one hand clutching my gut tightly.

"Oh!?" Siesta let go of me and allowed surprise on her face.

"Toilet!" I shrieked through the frantic begging, hopping urgently on my feet. "NEED TO GO, NOOOOOOW!"

She grabbed me by the arm and tugged me to follow her, "This way, I'll show you where it is!"

"Hurry, PLEASE!" And just like that, both of rushed toward whatever nearest lavatory was available for me to take care of my sudden act of business.

. . .

. . .

. . .

"See? This is what he gets for eating food out of the can!" Shishak threw his hands up and begin to laugh hysterically. "He won't be touching that mystery meat now! Hahahahahahahahaha!"

. . .

"Indeed."

* * *

Louise could not believe what she was hearing when her eyes caught onto an interesting sight that she never thought would be possible to begin with. She blinked once, rubbed her eyes, checked her ears to see if they were still working, and then blinked again at the sight to behold.

. . .

Sitting in a fetal position, in the middle of the hallway, was Guiche. Wailing very loudly; in a high pitch shrill that almost sounded like a dying bird taking its last breath of life. Next to him in a crouch is Montmorency trying hard to comfort him, but to no avail. The students surrounding him casted glances of pity at his direction; some of them were even complaining about an awful stench coming from somewhere.

The pinkette assumed that it must be one of her familiars who tend to smell like burnt smog, but when she took a whiff in the air to see what the fuss was all about her eyes started to water and the girl gagged at the repulsive stench that was lingering around. It was not from Shishak, as she remembered him by. No, this stench was far fouler than the rotten sweet smell she had experienced in the commoner section of the city.

"BY BRIMIR, WHAT IS THIS FOUL SMELL!?" She heard one of them students exclaimed.

"UGHHH! The wind spells aren't working! Why isn't it working!?"

Ignoring the others, she went over to the source of the noise with a hastily pulled scented handkerchief over her nose and stopped in front of the still screaming blond mage, who is now on the verge of passing out. Knowing that he won't be any help, Louise crouched next to his fiancée blinking away the tears from her eyes.

"Where is that stench coming from!?" Louise asked the blonde girl. "And why does Guiche looked frightened out of his mind?"

Holding a handkerchief of her own against her face, Montmorency gave her the most fiercest glare she could muster and pointed at a certain direction. "Why don't y-you ask y-your familiar that question?!"

"Which one?" She coughed, waving away the noxious air temporarily as she looked around. "I have four of them!"

Still glaring, the water mage tried to finish her sentence without taking much breath, so it came out in a gasping sputter. "T-the one c-called *Cough* F-farmer!"

_Farmer! What in blazes has he done this time!?_

"Guiche saw him e-exit out of the lavatory while he was on his way to relieve himself," Montmorency heaved another shallow breath, "and ended up running out of the room babbling about a _plague_ appearing there!"

Louise sucked in more air from her mouth and nearly shouted, "A PLAGUE? How does one even cause a plague by relieving themselves in the first place!? That is absurd! That's-!"

The smell of bodily waste was too great for her to continue onward with her words. She had to get away from here and get to cleaner air before the fog could make her succumb toward the same fate bestowed upon Guiche.

She had to flee right now or else she'll faint. With what little strength she has in her, Louise took one final deep breath and rushed out in hopes of finding the courtyard or any doorway that would lead outside and away from the nightmarish smell that would haunt the others for a long period of time until they can blissfully forget about the traumatic experience. The rest of the students had the same idea and went with it, forgoing their magic for good old fashioned running.

At last, she made it outside, after what seems to be hours of suffocation inside the deadly gas that came from the foulest void of her most difficult familiar that she would dread for the rest of her life until the day one of them passed on. While she sucked in the clean air, a single thought raced through her mind as she was about to expel her breath into a single declaration of exaggerated suffering and despair.

_Oh, why does it have to_ _him!?_

"**FAAAAAAARRRRRRMMMMMMMMEEEEERRRRRRRRR!**"


	5. Chapter 4: Light on the Weed

_A/N: Chapter 4 will be a little more serious this time, but there will still be more shenanigans awaiting you so don't worry about the lack of comedy. _

_Also, take note that with summer in full blaze, it might take me a little longer to do each chapter because of the free time (don't worry; I won't be 'too' lazy about the updates). So, with this one out of the way, enjoy this badass chapter!_

_Prepare for more serious comedic shit._

_EDIT: Sorry for the long update. With summer over and me being back in college, let's just say I got too deep into my own time during my long break with Skyrim. The story is still in full swing, so don't worry about it being abandoned.. _

_**Kruggov**__: Glad you understand. I hope you enjoy the story. Along with that, MRE are known to cause constipation and heavy diarrhea; Farmer's must be a late timer. _

_**M**__: Spies, Snipers, and Pyros, oh my! We might as well add Heavy for great stronkness!_

_**GrimKid98**__: Well, here's another chapter to make it another day's worth!_

_**Doomsdayguy12345**__: Believe me; he won't be touching the mystery meat anytime soon. On an actual fact, Ukrainian military rations do have Tourist Delight cans; just tomato sautéed sardines instead of what is actually mentioned in the story._

_**Yeza Nairomof**__: They wear gas masks for a reason. This is one of them._

_**Jackelthelurker:**__ Sounds tempting, but I might have to think about that. Andrew Ryan, out of all the Bioshock series, is my favorite type of character who knows that he has burned too many bridges to redeem himself and just accepts his inevitability with dignity, but not before making his point one last time. Writing his character would take some time, but writing his personality should be a cinch._

"_We all make choices. But in the end, our choices make us." – Andrew Ryan_

* * *

Chapter 4

**Light on the Grass**

* * *

The sound of clinking cookware reached my ears when I entered the kitchen for the first time. Maids scurried out with last-minute hot meals atop of trays, some passing by me without a glance or notice of my presence. The chefs were too absorbed with their duties to be fully aware of a lone man dressed in weird clothing standing in the midst of their everyday routine while I scratched the stubbles on my chin, watching everyone hastily do their jobs. The smell of good food wafted around obviously, and I could not help but let my mouth watered at the mixed aroma of sweetness and sautéed ingredients.

. . .

I really need to shave my beard. A few stubbles won't get in the way of the gas mask seal, but you can never be too careful. Also, this kitchen is perfect for me to make borscht; granted, if I get permission from the head chef to use it. I shouldn't depend on the canned goods so much anyway.

God knows how that mystery meat managed to get me at the wrong moment.

Another look around the kitchen and I saw the dudes sitting at a wooden table, enjoying their stew of mystery. The merc was the first to notice my arrival and said nothing, only gesturing me to take a seat toward an empty stool next to him. In front of him, Shishak slurped the meal quietly from his spoon and was having a small talk with Saito doing the same. They seemed to be enthralled with the topic of managing the kid's newly acquired firearm, discussing about proper training and when to use it appropriately.

Making myself known, I then plopped on the seat with the usual grin, setting the backpack against the table leg, and started asking questions of my own.

"So, what did I miss?" I started with a small inquiry.

Saito greeted me with a smile of his own, "Oh, hey Farmer. Shishak and I were talking about the fight and that pistol you gave me. Also, we filled Cutler on the deal you made with Louise and he went with it."

Huh, I guess the merc is playing it smart and decided to make use of what he can find here. Good for him.

"That?" I gave a short nod. "Yeah, that pistol is yours, by the way. Now that all the drama is out of the way, I can finally train you how to use that gun properly. So next time, you'll be able to handle any sticky situations like a true stalker."

"Oh? So it's not a sink or swim kind of teaching for him?" The bandit quipped wryly.

Hah. You're very funny, ya filthy pickpocket.

"Hahaha, yeah, sure; keep thinking of me as an irresponsible man. I'm sure you haven't been through teaching other rookies how to maintain a shooter or observing the patterns of different anomalies. What I've learned from the Rookie Village to real life experience, I make sure to educate the lucky ones who are either crazy or ignorant to know of my reputation."

"By 'educate', you mean scarred them for life." Shishak told me off and went back to eating. "Pray that they do not become like you, screaming insanity and running fearful."

I let loose an annoyed sigh at his accusations thrown at me, but said nothing in my rebuke for a while. Fine, let him assume I'm still wonky as I appear because I know I am not a psychopath. It'll be a better front for me to hide behind when I want people to leave me alone.

Just because I act like a raving lunatic doesn't mean I am one. In the Zone, I hardly ever do it in the open because I'll just get shot without a bat of an eye. Noah is an exception from the rest of the crazies since he is actually well known and helpful toward others.

And of course, he gives out the rarest artifacts out of nowhere without ever asking for anything in return. I always wonder where he managed to get them so easily, ever to come back without a single scratch on him. I heard that the Compass can lead a stalker through any anomaly field safely, but getting one without experiencing the worst pain in your life is another story.

"No, by educate, I mean help them live longer." Soft words of bitterness hissed through my teeth as I shot a mild glare at him and then muttered quietly. "_At least I don't rob people to make a living_."

"Was there something you said, Farmer?" Siesta emerged from my blind spot with a bowl of the same leftover stew for me to dig in.

"I said it's such a nice day to be outside in this evening." I gave my white lie with an open smile as she set the food and spoon down in front of me. "Makes me feel alive in this clear sky."

The maid returned my friendliness with a pleasant expression of her own, "I couldn't agree more with you."

Yes, just go along with it.

The merc and bandit said nothing and continued to eat, while Saito thanked her again for sharing the food with them before doing the same like the other two. I took a look at the contents of the stew, picking up the spoon, and did not hesitate to scoop it into my mouth. A hearty flavor of natural seasoning and meaty taste left a satisfied feeling in my taste buds, leaving me to swallow contently and gave a short sigh at the good food.

The young lady pulled up a chair of her own between Saito and I, resting her chin on her hands with both elbows to the table. Another scoopful and she was glancing over me with a small, but sweet, smile that almost made me want to blush in embarrassment.

"How is it?" She asked, her radiant cheerfulness still glowing brightly.

. . .

Oh god, I just want to squeal in delight at her adorableness! It's no wonder I'm so weak against feminine charms. Quick, I got to say something smooth!

"It's like the best flavors are dancing in my tongue." I told her with a big grin.

Suave there, Farmer.

"I'm glad to hear it from you." She replied, being ever so gentle with her voice.

I'm kind of surprised she isn't staying the hell away from me after that display I did.

Then again, I wouldn't blame her for avoiding me if she ever found out how many people I've killed so far without suffering from a total PTSD crazed breakdown just to get by.

. . .

Huh. There's that feeling in my chest again. Hopefully it's not heartburn, because that would suck so hard right now after that stink I made in the restroom.

With a nod, I looked away casually and went back to eating the delicious mixed stew with each steady spoonful. Shishak had the best table manner, making sure to cover his lap with a smudged handkerchief while chewing quietly; Saito spooned each salivating morsel enthusiastically.

Cutler almost ate like a robot, making sure to carefully slurp the contents whole without making any noises before grinding the food together a little and swallowing it.

Geez, you would think bringing him out of the Zone should let a guy like him relax a little but he's just as tense like me; the only person who doesn't seem trigger happy is Shishak, but, looking back at his agile footwork and cool-headed aim with the Viper, I doubt he stayed in his container base all day. And what is with his fancy act? Is he a blueblood as well? No one has time to keep themselves clean when they could get shot at any time. Man, he is just full of small surprises.

But he won't surprise me any longer if the pretty bandit decides to go back to old routines. By then, I'll be ready for him. Just he wait…

Just he wait for me to blow his sorry ass off with my launcher.

"There he is! Our Hammer has finally arrived!" A heavy, nearly rough voice from a nearly heavyset man with a chef hat and apron came over to the table with what was left of the kitchen staff behind him, some holding a few assorted dishes, in cheery tone that was filled celebration. "All of you sure showed that Noble brat something, I tell you!"

Our Hammer? What is that supposed to mean? I am blunt? Hehehehehe, well, I do tend to get pretty heavy on the Zone weed.

"Our Hammer?" I repeated the thought aloud, slightly amused by the given title.

A heavy pat on the back almost made me do a face dive into my stew, earning a few snickers from Saito and Shishak, while the large man gave a deep, hearty, belly laugh from within.

"Hahahahahaha! From your tremendous might that destroyed the boy's golems in the first place! What a magnificent show it must have been, though it's a shame I didn't get to witness the crushing defeat."

Okay, so this guy doesn't like the Nobles as well. I can relate to that.

"Well," I sat right up and gestured toward the rest of the gang, "I couldn't have done it without the help from these guys. All I did was the heavy lifting and made myself a target on purpose so they'll be able to finish the fight fast."

Another forceful slap from behind caused me to cough out and wheeze a little, but it was unnoticed by the loud cheers of the gathered workers and from the big guy's boisterous guffaw.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Such modesty from a strong fighter! You don't see that from the Nobilities. All they do is brag about their magic!" He steadied himself and smiled thoughtfully at me. "Siesta! Pour some glasses of our most exquisite Albion red wine for our heroes." To which, our young maid friend nodded and went off to fetch the wine glasses and bottle close by.

Hmm… this gives me a very good idea…

"Hey buddy, what do I call you?" I asked him, going along with a goofy smile of my own. Siesta set up the glasses and poured each of them the red liquid that held a strong aroma of something freshly ripe and earthly.

The man stood upright with pride and said with a bow, "I am the head chef, Marteau. Although I am only a mere commoner, my very cooking itself is a different kind of magic that gives an elegant taste for anyone to try!"

This guy is just full of life; I want him to teach me how to cook like that. For food to taste this good, it's no wonder the Nobles get all the good shit.

Too bad they are still self-entitled Houdini assholes. Haven't met any adult ones that act that way yet, but it is probably safe to assume that we'll be meeting those pretty soon.

"You know," I started slowly, hiding the mischievousness inside, "I shouldn't be the only one to hold all the glory, right? I mean, I just got here. So, why don't you start off this celebration by naming our young friend here who saved my ass from being battered?"

Right off the batch, Saito nearly choked on the fine wine and sputtered for a breath when Marteau gave him the trademark back slapper, complimented by another friendly chuckle.

"You mean Our Sword right here? Such quick reflexes for a boy his age, I have to say!" He grinned and moved on to Shishak, placing his hands on the bandit's shoulders. "And here is Our Spear, so delicate and caring, yet deadly and fierce at a long reach. You certainly are a good looking softie; I'm just as tempted to give you a kiss! Hahaha!"

PFFFFFFFFFFTTTTT…

He called him 'delicate'.

Shishak made a stifled cough and blush cherry red all over his face as the large chef moved on to the nonchalant mercenary. "And what of Our Dagger? Hm?"

Cutler said nothing to the man and continued to pay attention to his food, earning him a few noting brows from the staffs at his lack of response. For us, though, it's obvious he doesn't feel like talking.

". . ."

. . .

"I see silence is your preferred communication. Ever so swift and piercing under every mysterious shadow, no matter day or night, for you to finish a battle so quickly." Marteau chuckled softly, patting the merc's shoulder before going back to his loud voice. "Don't fret about, our brave souls! Drink and eat to your fullest content! Feel free to comeback any day whenever you need to eat. You have very well deserved it after this turning point."

"Hear hear! I announced, raising my glass in the middle of the table.

Saito, Shishak, and Cutler met my held glass with the assorted 'clinks' before drinking the red wine down. Afterwards, we went to eating our fill and made small talks (excluding the merc) about the weather and whatnot. Shishak thanked the head chef for allowing us something to eat, while Saito did some chit chatting with Siesta. I then decided to ask Marteau a favor regarding the huge work station of theirs.

"So, Marteau, nice kitchen you got there." I took a sip from the wine glass and gave a small hum. "Must be pretty handy to have everything at your disposal for when the staffs need to cook up the usual meal."

"Oh? Yes, quite," he said, smirking at the festive mood in front of him, "we are very much fortunate to have such tools to make the most grandeur dishes from our finest skills. Is there something you wish to ask of me, Our Hammer?"

I gave a sheepish rub behind my head, "Well… you don't exactly need to call me by that title, first of all. Just call me Farmer; nothing special to call me by. Secondly, I'm asking for permission to use your magnificent kitchen because… uh…"

The large boisterous man continued to smile big at me, "Don't be shy! We are all brothers and sisters of the common class."

"…I'm a bit of a cook myself, you see. I'm not sure if Siesta told you this earlier, but I work as an on-the-go treasure hunter. Finding artifacts is one thing, but cooking your favorite meal with what little you have can be a bit infuriating when you're far away from any establishment in the Sahara or when all the best cooking stuff are for the nobles only."

I can't believe I'm actually going along with that stupid Rub' Al Kali cover story. Then again, telling people that you're from another world isn't the best way to have them trust you.

Not that I would trust anyone here 100% either, with the whole paranoia issue that I got from the Zone. Trust is important, but you can't be too trusting with random strangers unless you've worked with them for the longest times. Even then, you still have to be wary around them.

Saito is a different story. He's smart, but a little bit naïve since the boy is nothing like us and has never faced the horrors of the Zone before. I'd rather he should be kept that way, but that is for him to decide whether he wants to change himself for better or worse.

He tilted his head slightly and asked, "What sort of dish are you talking about?"

"It's a popular dish called 'Borscht'. Nothing fancy or anything, as it is a common meal from where I live in, but it's pretty good with even the most basic staples of ingredients. The problem is that the better quality ingredients in most parts that I have explored are restricted to said higher class rights and that can be very irritating. Of course, I can improvise since the meal is not that complicated to make."

After my short explanation, Marteau stroke his chin thoughtfully at my words and made a small frown while shaking his head. "You are more than welcome to make use of our humble kitchen, but I'm afraid we cannot give you any ingredient that is reserved for the nobility."

"Yeah, I was sort of expecting that."

"Although," he continued, bringing his smile back with a sly glint in his eye, "I hardly doubt they will notice anything out of the ordinary if you so happened to cook this 'special dish' of yours so we can serve it to them. If it looks and smells nice to them, they won't hesitate to eat it. Plus, you can just bring your own supplies so no one would be the wiser if they suspect that you were cooking your own meal in our kitchen."

"Oh, don't worry. The look is somewhat appealing, and there is no problem with the borscht smelling bad either." I flashed a thumb up. "A little culture change wouldn't hurt them."

The head chef gave a quick wink and chuckled, clapping his hands once to show that he was in agreement, "Nonetheless, you are free to use the kitchen when the day is done for us. It is good to meet another fellow cook such as yourself who is willing to bring something different on the table, even if you are a novice."

"Locals before Nobles." I added, flashing my grin.

"Ha! A man with a clever sense of humor! You and I will get along just fine!" With another howl of laughter, Marteau and the rest of the working staffs catered to our needs without any complaints. I kind of felt bad for allowing them to give me the royal treatment, but I know that none of us will take it for granted; most stalkers like Shishak and I know what gratitude is and Saito gave a very good example of it. Cutler seems very indifferent, but at least he knows when to be polite.

. . .

. . .

You know what? Maybe I was jumping to conclusions too fast when my first thought of this world is that it was bleaker than the Zone. I was so worried about getting back home that I failed to realize my priorities as a best friend and role model to the kid and as a friend to those I've just made right off the batch.

Heh, it is funny when you don't intend to stay in unknown territory because it's, well, 'unknown' to you, but you ended up staying anyway for the sake of experience, knowledge, and many other things. It could be the want for change, a sense of adventure, a relationship…

…

…now that I think about it, I haven't felt that mushy feeling in the first place for a very long time back at home and in the Zone. I mean, I think to myself that I know what the concept of love _is_ and some other stuff, but I wouldn't know jack shit on what it feels like. How should I know? I'm just a person with things to do and places to go. What woman would have time to wait for me?

Hell, what sane woman would love a mentally disturbed man like me? I'm willing to go deep into fields of radioactive anomalies to get rich, for fuck sake.

I might as well accept the inevitable and leave it there. It's not the sense of self-worthiness that I doubt I don't have, but rather the common sense that is understandable to someone like me. I'd have to be lucky if some lonely lady is yearning out for company or is dealing with similar problems like mine.

. . .

Eh, fuck it. I'm used to being alone so far; it would make no difference to me at any time.

Besides, the Zone is my only love for me. A cruel, deadly mistress she can be, but I haven't felt that high exhilaration in my entire life until I killed my first bandit.

The Zone will wait for me, as she has done for the rest of us unfortunates.

. . .

. . .

Where the hell did Cutler just go? Geez, that guy is like a ghost whenever he wants to leave.

* * *

"Brrp…" The mercenary belched quietly with his mouth covered so he did not disturb any possible readers in the vicinity of the library. A humorous thought came to mind on how he always intended to remain stealthy even in the public eye. Such constant avoidance from others would be considered unhealthy or socially inept to those who think of such, but to him it was his own way of a bad habit. Of course, making himself known at the least expected moment was also included as it does tend to rattle most people during his stay in the Exclusion Zone whenever he comes back to collect his payment.

The baffled look on their faces was something he considered a small bonus.

Cutler looked around between the shelves brimming with various books that were either musty with age or brand new as if they had just came out of the press, if there is such thing as one in this world. A closer look from a few tomes with interesting contents on the Halkginia geography, countries, provinces, and history confirmed his analysis that they were indeed done by hand. An enduring job that demanded much patience and finest penmanship, but it showed great skills for the scribes. This time, he wanted to focus more on the religion and the source of the Nobility's magic.

Despite holding these great powers in them, they are still living beings that can bleed like everyone else. The only setback is that they might be much harder to kill than the average human or commoner by class.

The man felt his eyes narrowed slightly at the word 'commoner', as it sounded like the polite term for 'plebeian' instead. As much as he disliked their label for the poorer populace here, there was nothing he could do about it. Live and let live, he supposed.

But for how long, that is?

No matter, let them dawdle away their lives bickering over trivial things. Even with the monarchy as the main form of authority, it is not different than the governments he has seen before while under their employment. The rich grows richer while the poor stays poor.

A parliamentary republic would never allow a person or group to be given full control over a country and let any corruption go unpunished. Democracy allows too much power to the elected majority, and thus is the cause of tyranny upon the minority because they have no voice or any protected rights. Oligarchy and Plutocracy is similar to a parliament, but is no better than a democratic government as they are given power automatically without the peoples say.

A republic would provide more protection and freedom, while upholding the laws so that true equality would be sustained; a true balance between the head of state leading the country and the legislature group that runs the government.

And on the plus side, the parliament can be chosen by the people. Of course, even the citizens can be fooled into thinking that the promising future candidates and prime minister will hold their word, so weeding out the sleazy and greedy would be a major priority.

He stayed silent for a long time, taking the time to rationalize his thoughts on whether or not there should be change in this Halkginia and if these changes were to be accepted in the end. Try as he must, Cutler knew that he has no chance of making these changes without support if the majority decides to take actions against him. Along with that, there doesn't seem to be any country in this world that would openly accept a new form of government unless they were in dire turmoil. Any turmoil, in fact, that would suffice such as a certain civil war going on in the floating island of Albion from what he heard from the gossiping students.

A group of nobles leading a rebellion against the tyrant king, fighting for the common people in pursuit of equality and justice; fitting for a classical fairy tale that the minority would gladly fight for.

Though, it wasn't so believable to someone like him. Where there is a high power fighting for control, what's to say they won't be like the previous ruler? And then what? Another revolution for profit and gain that spirals into a full circle? Great power does not belong to the selfish; it is the people that decides who will wield it responsibly.

But he will fix that soon when the time comes; _if_ the time comes. A nation cannot be built in a day. A system is not simply ingrained into the minds of the people unless they are taught to understand it. If creating this nation meant bordering on the personal boundaries and breaking certain laws to achieve it, then there should be no hesitation for progress. As long as he does not become what he is fighting against, then no morals are being broken and the probability of future consequences might be lessened.

But the very good reason he hasn't thought to himself first is _why_ he should care about offering change to people not like him? What is it to him that would allow a farfetched thought to form in his mind of going along with it? The mercenary highly doubt it was meant for a greater good, as that could mean anything from farce benevolence to genocidal ethnic cleansing. If he wanted to be a foolhardy paragon of self-sacrifice, then he should have quit being a mercenary.

Self-interest meant taking advantage of the war and building his own rule, but that is not what he was after in the first place. He could give them the right direction and make sure it stays that way, but he was no natural ruler. Let the people elect their own chairs and prime minister, or form their own government if they want it different than what he proposed. The main goal is to make change, not force them to go his way.

In the end of this deep thinking, he could only surmised that the only reason he is doing this is because why not? So far, they are completely stuck on a different world and the means of going back home was slim to none.

. . .

. . .

"Ahem."

". . ."

Cutler turned to the source of the noise, becoming slowly aware that he has been staring at the same book for the past few minutes, and saw the same short mage with the oddly bright blue hair and eyes gazing at him with a blank expression that matches his. One could say it was like looking at a mirror when he met her stare with his own. For a short moment, they said nothing to each other but give unwavering looks across that held no emotions. Whether or not it was a meeting of minds or a contest of power, nobody that is aware of it knew what was going on between them.

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

"Learning?"

. . .

"Yes."

The short girl of similar heights to Louise scanned his body from top to bottom and continued to stare back at him, her staff still in one hand, as she nodded slowly.

"Soldier?" She asked him, referring to his garb.

"Mercenary." Cutler dully replied back.

. . .

. . .

"Hired?"

"Currently."

. . .

"Looking for?" The girl pressed forward with her questioning, pointing at the shelves.

. . .

"Religion."

She tilted her head, "Brimir?"

"Yes." He nodded in confirmation.

Another minute of eying each other later she gestured at him with the curved staff to follow her, to which he did so right away. While Cutler walked behind the quiet girl, he noticed that her movement was also tensed with caution as if she is being wary of him. It would make sense to be prepared for anything if something were to happen between them, but his intentions was not to harm anyone for the time being. There are greater foes outside of this great academy, and he would make sure that any knowledge he can find would assist him in the long run. If possible he could take up his mercenary work in a nearby city, disguised as a different person, and earn some coins or Ecu as they called it. Expending ammunition should only be a last resort, so he should find a decent blade and learn how to use the flintlocks for an alternative means of ranged firepower.

But from the way Cutler looked at it, despite their technological advantages, magic would still have an edge over those born normal. Fortunately, the majority are too proud and honor-bound to use low tactics. If he play his cards right and make sound decisions, then they shouldn't be difficult to take down.

. . .

Such abilities that go beyond human logic should not be possible. Of course, such phenomenon that created the Zone should also be categorized as the same thing. But, they are not. The Zone to him, like many others, remains a mystery that not even the scientists camped in their protective bunkers could solve right away without further exploration and random analysis from passing stalkers.

The short mage stopped in front of him, facing the merc with her usual stoic expression, and lightly tap against one of the columns of books with the wooden staff.

"Here." She stated.

Cutler gave the girl a short nod and went toward that particular shelf to scan over the books, but didn't forget to reply back with a small, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." As she turned to leave, the man spoke out once more in question.

"Your name?" He asked with his eyes still glued to the hardcovers.

The short mage stayed silent for a while, taking one last look over the merc before answering without hesitation, "Tabitha."

"Tabitha." Cutler nodded again without looking back at her, his attention still directed at the old tomes as he took one out for a short examination. "Nice to meet you, I am Cutler."

"Same." Tabitha replied plainly and finally left to her own business, leaving him to tend to whatever he needed to do.

Still focusing on the current topic, he scanned over the front cover of the first book and could make out what little he knew of the bold symbols before his eyes. Not understanding what they meant, he can only assume that they represent something behind this 'Brimir' character. The more common label for their holy figure would be 'Founder', as he supposedly created the magic that the Nobles are able to use currently.

. . .

. . .

. . .

The merc felt a slight sense of nostalgia and swallowed his saliva to get rid of the bitter taste in his mouth as he searched around the selected shelf and took a couple more piled in his hands, then went to find a secluded area where he would not be bothered by any unnecessary distractions. Taking them out of the library with witnesses still lingering around would not fare him any good if he isn't allowed to do so in the first place.

Satisfied with an empty spot at a corner where no one would ever think to go there, he opened one of the books to the first page and read slowly along the written lines of the text, eyes devouring the words given to him while he flipped to another section teeming with new information.

Cutler didn't know how long it will take him to read all the tomes taken for research; maybe hours until the night set in. By then, he would need to explore around the school grounds once more to collect the usual gossip from the mouths of passing students, maids, and the rest of the faculties busy with their tasks. Of course, he would need to remain inconspicuous if he ever wants to allow himself to be seen out in the open. The BDU worn right now might as well advertise his presence openly, attracting unwanted attention in the near future and possibly sabotaging his plans of introducing change to a war-torn country divided by petty reasons. He needed a new uniform; his current one has been seen by too many people. A disguise would allow him to make a new identity in case he ever decided to make himself known to the public.

If, or when, he decides to place change into Albion, he would also need a new codename. One that is fitting for a revolutionist that hides in the shadows of conflict and strike when the opposition least expects it. While he does not appear to be the type of person to interact with people daily, tweaking his personality will be a necessity in order to pull off a successful revolt against the nearly victorious Reconquista forces.

And what counter revolt wouldn't be complete without the supplies of crafted modern firepower and tactics? The production of centerfire bullets should not bode any problem for him, as he made a hobby of hand loading his own bullets and reloading them to save money before his time as a mercenary. Resources and time of careful research should be plenty enough unless something major was to occur at any given moment.

Copying firearms, as simple as it may sound, will be proven difficult to produce without the right expertise due to flintlock technology being the only prominent firearms in this world era. Being as he is only skilled in producing certain ammunition, Cutler knew nothing about replicating gun parts. The man knew none of his 'associates' other than the Farmer would hold any knowledge in basic gunsmithing, as he saw various drawn diagrams depicting different assault rifles in the room, but he doubt the loner would easily trust him to go along with his intentions if applied vaguely.

As far as he knows, a selfish man would rather keep his only advantage to himself than let any possible opposition gain equal ground with him. Pavlo Yure almost seemed to fit the label of one if not for his willingness to provide them with their weapons during the start of the duel when he opted to defend the young maid with the boy, so there might be ways to get him to cooperate. A simple bribe would not be effective enough to suffice, so he will have to get the lone scavenger to think differently on something that relates to their current situation. So far, the main importance is the need for ammunition while maintenance is also a must to allow their firearms to continue functioning.

If all went according to his plan, then perhaps there is hope for Albion and possibly this entire world if they decide to look back on their mistakes. Then again, when do governments ever admit their own faults? The prime minister can't even do a decent job than the president.

La Voile. That could be a good name for his disguise. Progression requires a push, so the title would make sense when the time to strike is right and hell blows over them. Or, a name brand of fine wine as he thought about it more.

When the weapons are taken care of, all he has to do is to somehow persuade the native population to fight for a different, if not seemingly better, cause and unshackle the chains of deceit that they themselves have unknowingly wrapped around their free will. Perhaps, to start it off small, he will have to find his resources in Tristian and find the right people to gather information from before forming his group. A large organization like Reconquista should not be underestimated, as their eyes and ears are most likely gathering intelligence inside other national powers.

That won't stop him from doing the same thing right after he finds any trustworthy members willing to believe in a right cause and not take every sugared words of their so-called 'liberators' fully.

And even if he managed to help the people liberate themselves from their tyrants, other nations will try to take advantage of Albion's moment of weakness. He will have to figure that out as well to prevent another takeover from happening.

Such is the life of conflict.

* * *

The jiggling of a locked doorknob echoed loudly in the halls when I tried to get inside Louise's room at the beginning of the night to finally catch some sleep and not deal with the deprived mental freak outs I keep hearing about from those kids whispering around me. I figured that since I haven't slept much lately, going to bed early might help curb my deep musings and let me pay attention more to what is going on around me.

A loud rap against the door seconds later and I heard her muffled voice shouting at me to go away. With an annoyed grunt, I gave another heavy knock on the wood before saying anything else.

"Why? I'm just going inside to get some sleep." I exclaimed back at her. "Seriously, Louise, let me in already."

"So you can foul up my room with your flatulence!? Not a chance!" She nearly screeched back and then threatened Saito not to open the door for me when I heard him attempting to unlock it. He backed down immediately when the swishing sound of a certain horse crop was brought up to reinforce her point.

I made an indignant huff when she told me about the stink I made earlier ago and retorted with a more plausible argument in my defense. "Then what about Shishak? He stinks all the time! You can't just leave me outside just because I had to go take a dump badly! If you have to go, you HAVE to _go_!"

Being stubborn, as usual, the girl fired back a throwaway excuse and stated that "At least I can mask his odor with more perfume!"

Almost instinctively palming my face, I decided to throw one more card to get her to see reason.

"Look, I know you're embarrassed about the whole ordeal and for what I did back there. I don't blame you for that, but don't you think this is kind of unfair locking me out? I have important things to do, like getting some rest! After all, Saito was ready to kick his ass more than the rest of us for you. Plus, he's the one that persuaded me to have all of us stay with you when I was planning to leave. So please, can you at least look into yourself and show some sympathy to me?"

. . .

Silence was the only answer I could get out of her. I could only assume she was contemplating on letting me in or not. I stood there for a while, hoping that pinkette could see how much effort I put in saving her from being mentally scarred for life and open that door. After a few more minutes of stillness have passed by, this is what she said to me.

"I'm still not letting you in."

I didn't think my patience could get this strained putting up with her flossy needs, but boy did I snapped hard when I heard those apathetic words come out of that posh mouth of hers.

"OH COME ON, THIS IS BULLSHIT!" I yelled loudly in full irritation, banging my fist against the wooden frame. "We humiliated that FOP in front of everyone and this is how you repay _me _for putting him in his place? That boy had it coming! We ALL knew it!"

"And you are so full of it! There was no reason for you to act out like a wild animal and threaten his life so carelessly!" Also in the room with them, Shishak did not bother resisting a comeback as he hollered his words behind the door. "Now go find somewhere else to sleep! You are disturbing us!"

Giving the door a final kick, I threw my arms up in the air and flung one more insult before turning away with a look of indignity. "Fine! Be an ungrateful little shit! I'm going to find some place to get high, so don't expect me to help you with anything tonight! Get Shishak to do it for you! I'm sure he'll won't mind tucking you in bed and telling you sappy bed time stories or kissing every booboo on you just because you can't even stand up for yourself!"

As I stormed away, not wanting to deal with her bullshit any longer, I almost made it halfway to the stairway until one of my foot tripped over something on the ground. I let out a pained groan after landing hard and did not register having my right foot being clamped on, nor was I aware that something was quickly dragging me to Zone-knows-where until the sensation of tingling and numbness in my body stopped.

"Hey, what the hell is going on?" I saw nothing but darkness all around me (except for the glass window) when the door from the room I was in got closed shut. "Where am I? Why can't I see shit?"

Automatically, I got to my feet and reached for my automatic sidearm, not knowing what might happen to me at this very moment. As paranoid as I may be (and regretting to leave my assault rifle in that pink haired brat's room), it never hurt to be precautious around anything suspicious just to be sure. For all I know, these fucking magic kids are finally deciding to get rid of me once and for all.

It's either that, or I'm being kidnapped and held against my will. Both of these scenarios are fucking bad. I should know. I've been through them before. Well, except, replace the kids with bandits and other stalkers who have grudges against me from time to time.

"Who the fuck is in here!?" Pointing my gun frantically at the slightest movement, I squint my eyes hard to see who or what is trying to do and where they are. Fortunately, these combat goggles are not hard to see through in total darkness. Despite being tinted, the helmet visor seems to be photo reactive. That still doesn't mean I can see completely, but at least I can comfort that I am able to vaguely view my surroundings before dying horribly.

Something swished past my legs, causing me to yelp in surprise. My finger was constantly jamming down on the trigger, but nothing was coming out from the end of the barrel. That was when I realize I still had the safety on. I did not hear another sound while I flipped the safety off, but I was getting very antsy about it when I thought I was being played around like live prey.

"Show yourself, asshole! I'll shoot you, I swear to fucking god. I will put a bullet in you if you think I am going down like this!" My voice held a nervous tone, but I was ready to kill at any given notice. As I turn my body around to cover my sides, a part of my mind felt like I was forgetting something, like it was the most obvious thing that I could have missed and that I would not be freaking out so much if I used it in the first place.

. . .

. . .

That is when I started to remember that I had an updated version of 1st generation night vision already installed on the helmet, ready for action. Of course, I don't exactly know where the switch is so not much help right there.

Damn my sleep deprivation for hindering the moment of badassery.

Patting on my front vest, I quickly produced a medical penlight that I snagged from the late Tremor's desk drawer and pressed it on. The small room wasn't as brightly illuminated as I would hope for, but at least I could see now. A couple random sweeps around showed some miscellaneous items such as books and other unknown trinkets, along with a small patch of unlit candles on top of a wooden desk. A strange method of use for a light source, since a lantern will suffice, but I'm not one to complain about even bigger weird shit that I have seen in my life time during the early Zone days.

The noise of shifting prompted me to shine the light over there, revealing a young, tall redhead wearing a questionable form of night gown that allowed much of her bronze skin to be seen. Covering her eyes with one hand from the bright ray, the teenager slowly got up from the bed in a coy fashion and spoke to me.

"Ah, that's really bright." She pouted. "Do you mind pointing that elsewhere, please?"

Now that I got a good view of her (not that I'm suggesting it _loosely_), the memory of that flaunting young lady who tried to seduce Saito and me came to mind. What is her name again; Kirche, right?

"Oh, you're that girl who stopped by to find Shishak so you can make advances on him." I deduced in an obviously dull tone and shone the light toward the ground instead.

Kirche allowed a small smirk of amusement to appear as she glanced at the penlight in my hand before replying back with her playful words, "And you are the crazed berserker who frightened nearly every boy in this academy with threats of sodomy after defeating Guiche with your companions."

Touché.

"Speaking of which, I was hoping to get that handsome tall man in here." She pouted again, casting her seductive eyes on me. "But I suppose you will have to do now that you are here."

. . .

Yeah… uhhh…

"Allow me." With a snap of her fingers, the candles instantly lit themselves through magical combustion and I managed to stop myself from jumping at the sudden switch of total visibility.

She could not help herself to a small giggle when she saw how slack my jaws were. "Surprised? Magic can be very handy for a Noble such as me."

"Yeah, I figured much." The deadpanning of my voice as I switched off the light and holstered the gun away prompted the tall redhead to laugh again in a light chortle before setting herself on the bed and patted an empty spot next to her.

"Come, sit with me." She cooed her invitation.

I stared at her for a while, trying to rack my brain at her friendliness as if it was the most suspiciously obvious trap that I know any sap would fall for. The way she presented herself as well just screams 'honey pot', but her intentions seems very generous. Too generous, in fact. Realistically, I'm not really interested in banging her since she's probably way too young for me to go for, but I suppose she wants to get to know me more before or while she tries to cuddle with me.

I can get information from her without any hassle if possible, anyway.

Going along with it, I plopped myself next to her and felt slightly uncomfortable when she leaned her head against my shoulder.

"So, why the sudden hostility earlier ago?" I could feel her hand slowly wrapping themselves on my arm as she pushed forward. "Hmmm~?"

Geez, I guess she'll fuck any man if they are good looking or mysterious enough. Talk about experience.

Slowly, but surely, I let myself relax a little just to give her the impression that I was falling into her grasp. She's not getting in my pants, for sure, even if it looks like I'm allowing her to.

"Have you ever been out in the open, _boldly going where no man has gone before_, hunting for unknown treasures beyond your wildest dreams?" I let a huge cheeky grin on my face saying this. "Cause' I have, since it's my job, and let me tell you that it is the most dangerous profession out there that made me more wary of my environment."

_For the Zone does not allow the unprepared to go by idly. _

"Ooooh, an adventurer." Kirche spoke softly, subtly pressing her melons against the same arm as her face grew closer. "I can relate to that."

"Really?" My head tilted away from her, looking to the paned window where the moonlight entered through. "You're a treasure hunter as well?"

"It's a recent hobby of mine, just something for me to pass the time whenever I need to get out." The young woman answered back, brushing her bangs away and smiled. "But nowhere near at your standard."

I gave a small chuckle hearing this from her, "I can teach you a thing or two about it, if you are interested. Maybe you'll have a better chance of finding untold riches than me."

Now it was her turn to laugh loudly, "Having some bad luck searching for them? It's funny, since I tend to end up getting useless baubles every time."

Wow, maybe I might be able to steer her away from trying to screw me if I keep her stuck in this conversation.

"Hah! Yeah, the same thing happens to me sometimes as well. I find a map, I follow it, then I have to go through all the traps and whatever is living there just to find a piece of crap as my reward for all the hard effort!" Which is technically true, since I tend to find more common artifacts to sell than the rare ones to keep as part of my collection after wading through radioactive anomaly fields.

"So, Farmer, if that is your actual name," she mused over what was said while stroking my hand, "you must think me a lowly, despicable woman to have you in my room."

Is she trying to guilt me to have sex with her now?

"Not at all." My head turned back to her coolly and I saw that she was nearly pressing her entire body against the side of mine so closely together. "I'm sure you just wanted someone to talk with. Have a good chat and whatnot."

"Not exactly what I have in mind." Her eyelids were halfway closed as Kirche violated my personal space a little bit more. "I can sense it from you."

Eh?

"Sense what?" I asked her.

"Your great valor in the midst of battle with Guiche while everyone watched his downfall." She peered into my eyes even though she can't really see them through the goggle visor. "Such brash courage coming from you that no Nobleman would ever do in the face of danger, never to step out of their strict boundaries just to put up a farce of bravado."

"But you, there is something about you that is different. Most commoners are submissive, but to see a man of action take the initiative by wielding those foreign weapons of yours alongside with your companions is nothing short of craftiness."

I'd rather be turned into a braindead zombie after an emission than _be_ friends with a filthy bandit like Shishak or a backstabbing merc that Cutler work as. Also, it would make more sense to bring a bigger stick than follow along their meaning of 'honor'. By their honor, it means getting fucked up by them without a shit of a chance. There is no such thing as a fair fight in war and inside the Zone. You either live smart or die foolish.

"Where exactly are you trying to lead this into?"

Kirche's tone began to fill with fiery ardor as she said this to me, "My runic name is 'Ardent'. Do you know what it means?"

Maybe if I didn't give a shit about whatever romantic spiel she's trying to do, she might back off and think of me as someone boring. That or it will just encourage her to try harder.

I gave a shrug and answered back with, "It means you are passionate?"

As if rehearsed, I felt my back touching the softness of her bed while she got on top of me with a fervent stare. "Whoa! This is getting too heated here."

And how the hell did she push me when I'm heavier than her?

"Just as it should be," She brought her face closer to the point of barely touching the helmet, "my lust is as flammable as hay, and you happen to be the oil that fuels it. I have never realized that any handsome man can wear a mask to hide his brutish needs, but with you it is the opposite of such."

. . .

"Are you calling me ugly?" Never before have I felt so offended by a ye olde pickup line from a fine young girl coming on to me. Most guys would think with their dicks and just go along with it or they probably don't know what the hell she's talking about. I'm not like most guys, really.

"No, my dear!" The fiery redhead exclaimed right away, moist eyes glistening in the candlelight. "I meant that you are gentle inside! That is what I love about you. Despite how rude and savage you are outside, the essence of your manhood radiates from deep within!"

. . .

My what?

"Huh?"

"Don't you see, darling? I'm madly in love with you! There is no need to keep hiding your true face any longer!" Her hand then found themselves trying to take off my helmet in the process of her declaration. "Let us be together just like how the hero gets his true love in legends!"

. . .

Okay, now she's trying to play it up for drama. I gotta end this now before that girl tries to sneak in a kiss or take my clothes off. This kind of thing is getting ridiculous for me.

Quickly, but gently, I nudged her off to the side and got back up from the bed shaking my head in disapproval. A look of shocking disbelief came on her face while she lay on the bed as I rose from my seat and turned around to face her. My head felt light without the familiar weight and I saw that the helmet was still in her hands when I tried to get her off of me.

. . .

. . .

Huh, so that's what a disturbed expression looks like on a pretty face.

"Your eyes…"

. . .

My head tilted slightly, "Yes, what about them?"

"They… they are…" She pointed at them, perturbed by the sight.

"Out with it already, I want to go outside and have a smoke."

. . .

"They are so **empty**."

"They are _gray_. What are you so freaked out about them for?" I asked and scratched my balaclava covered noggin. "And by the way, does your fire hazard of a lizard drag other men into your room just so you can flirt with them?"

Coming out of her short daze, Kirche's expression went back to being mischievous all while tossing her dark red hair back as if to take offense of my accusation. "That is nonsense. I would never go so low as to commit myself onto any man below me."

"And yet, here we are, both of us in your room having this discussion right now." I pointed out in snark and spotted Flame trotting into view from the bedside.

"It can't be helped, this time." She playfully replied.

"This time?" An eyebrow was raised. "You mean this isn't the first you went after the common folk? I thought you were only into the Nobles?"

"I still am, but this is the first time I've ever had feelings for people like you."

. . .

_Right_.

"I'm assuming you also meant Shishak and Saito, along with Cutler if you're really into the… ah…" A small yawn came upon me as I felt more drained from the current late night 'escapade'. A feeling of nausea was tugging in my head, causing unsteadiness against the balance of my stilled footing to which I opted for the chair nearest to me right away, "…creepy type! Ack, so tired."

"You are more than welcome to bed with me, if you would like~." The bronze redhead made an enticing pose on her side and licked her lips in a creepy predatory sense that would make any man be ensnared by her gorgeous looks.

. . .

. . .

Unfortunately for the young lady, I find it more disturbing in a way that an old pedophile would drive a teen away.

"Uh, how about a 'no'?" The chair was scooted a couple feet away from the bed.

This didn't deter her from pushing again, "How about a 'yes'?"

"Noooo." I groaned aloud, slouching further against the seat.

"Yessss~." Kirche flashed a devilish grin and got on her fours to creep closer toward me.

Oh boy, this is not what I need on my mind right now. I just want to get some shut eye, sheesh! I'd rather be snoozing in that pink brat's room than get felt up in my sleep by a horny teenager that is younger than me.

"Seriously, you're pretty and all, but I am not into knocking up girls hardly close to my age. So please, let it go."

"But I love you!"

"Then you fall in love too easily!" My complaint sounded more bellyaching than firm. "Please, let me sleep a little without you fondling me for once! Go after Saito, I'm sure he's more interesting and age appropriate than me."

Kirche's face flushed red and was taken aback from my outburst, letting out a sheepish laugh that sounded more amused as I gave another exhausted yawn, "A rugged man with a good sense of morality. Now that is something you don't see every day."

"Yeah sure, whatever, now can I please have my helmet back and leave?" I groused, holding my right hand out. "I'll smoke my grass tomorrow if the short pint doesn't make me do her menial chores, that is."

She chuckled again and slowly got up from the bed with the helmet in hand, striding her way to my tired body before stopping in front of me and leaned in closer. As she traced her fingers on my face gently, her eyes stared into mine once more as if the redhead was searching for a trace of something inside.

"For someone with soulless eyes, you do tend to jest a lot."

"What, the weed?" Producing a small zip lock bag of Zeed (zone weed), I jostle the baggy for her to see. "This is the stuff I'm talking about."

"Oh?" Kirche peered at the clear bag with mild fascination, interested in the material than the contents itself. "What kind of storage is this?"

"It's plastic." I told her.

She cocked her head at the given name with a blank look, "And what is this 'plastic?'"

I shrugged and returned the baggy inside the same pocket, "It's a man-made advance material from some chemicals that I don't know much about. I just use the product."

"How peculiar… it sounds like something an alchemist would make."

My shoulders were shrugged again at whatever occupation she was going on about, "Yeah, sure, let's go with that. So, can I go now?"

"Aru~? Leaving so soon?" The redhead pouted and brought her face closer to mine. "Not even one kiss for me?"

Looks like I gotta put my foot down again…

I gave her a stern look and flatly said, "No."

"Ha. So you're giving me a chase, just like that." She smirked once more before handing my headwear back. "Fine, we'll play that game. Sooner or later, you _will_ fall for me."

"Keep dreaming, young lady." My tone still held its flatness as I place the helmet back on to its rightful place. "Keep dreaming."

"It will come true eventually."

You wish.

"Yeah, sure, and I'll have my own country by then." I lightly pushed the girl away and got up from my seat, ready to leave, when an indignant voice shouted across the room from the now opened window. A handsome young fellow glared daggers at me while I stood there almost ready to palm my face at the constant barriers between me and my sleep.

"Kirche, I have come to be ablaze by your passionate warmth and yet this man happens to be inside your bedroom!?" He yelled out.

Well, this is where I get the fuck out of here before shit gets deeper for me.

* * *

"Well, this 'man' is about to leave, so don't bother me or else I'll put my hot meat between your cheeks!" Farmer's threatening voice was heard through the door as Saito gave an involuntary shiver at his words.

_Why does he always keep saying those things? _

A high-stringed shriek pierced the quiet fabric of the night after rapid footsteps raced toward the person in question, "Or do I need to make my point right now!? GET OVER HERE AND TAKE OFF YOUR PANTS, BOY!"

. . .

"I wonder if I should walk away now and pretend there is nothing going on in there." Saito sighed over the noise of crazed ululating and grabbed the doorknob. "No, it would only get worse if I don't get that nutcase out of there before Louise finds out. Well, here I go."

The boy opened the door quickly and caught sight of his immature friend still howling out of the window, jumping up and down like a boasting gorilla yelling out a strange mating call.

"**LELELELELELELELELELELELELELELELELELELELE~!**"

_Oh man…_

Louise's door slammed opened, her quick-pacing stomps going to where the source of noise was coming from. 'Upset' wouldn't be the right word for how much her steps sounded close by, for it held a murderous intent behind the trail of promised pain and suffering upon the one person disturbing the solace.

_Oh crap! _

"**What in Founder's name is going on here!?** Can I not get any moment of peace without you stirring up the…" Her face froze into somewhat between shock and ire when she saw the display of insanity still being played out. "THAT **WHORE**!"

As if she had just noticed the fuming short pinkette standing at her doorway, Kirche waved her hand over indignantly.

"Can't you see that we're busy here, Vallière?"

"Busy pleasuring one of my familiars, no doubt!" Louise spat out venomously.

"Hey!" The questionably mental man barked at her, pointing his finger at the bronze beauty. "I _did not_ have sexual relations with that woman! She tried to rape me while I was off to do my own thing."

"Be silent, you perverted insect and go back inside my room!" She snapped back and returned to staring holes at the redhead now yawning out of boredom. "Her kind is nothing but a plague here, just what you should expect from a Zerbst barbarian!"

Kirche let out a small laugh and strode over to the trembling girl, taking her sweet time doing so for her own amusement.

"Just so you know. He's more trouble dealing with than he is worth going after. You can have your loud loon back. I've already found myself a new spark to tend to." And just like that, Saito's arm felt something pressing against them as Kirche whispered her soft words into his ear. "Isn't that right, darling?"

_W-w-w-what-t-t-t!?_

"**W-w-what!?**" Louise howled at the sudden change of the given situation and stomped over to the dumbfounded young man, grabbing him by his sleeve. "You filthy Germanian! Whose familiar do you think you're **touching**?"

"Hah! Today must be your lucky day, boy!" Farmer hooted and chuckled loudly with a hand to his gut. "Man, tonight is just too plain wacko for me to see through. I'll leave you lovebirds alone while I finally get some good night's sleep."

"W-wait! You can't just leave me here!" Saito cried out between the two girls tugging his body back and forth aggressively.

"Sure I can! It's not my problem anymore! Hehehehehehehehehe~!" He giggled shrilly and waved a hand back over his shoulder as he walked away. "Try to get back in one piece tomorrow morning. We have much to learn outside."

The bronze girl hugged his arm tighter between her breasts and he felt a wave of heat wash over him as his face grew red with aroused embarrassment.

_This is not good_, He thought to himself while Louise tugged harder with a vicious snarl.

_This is really not what I was expecting to go through right now…_

"Don't fall for her wile tactics! Would you rather be run through with magic from every lover she has managed to snare in her grasp?" The pinkette growled angrily.

"Must you really listen to every word that Vallière says to you? Do not fret, my love. I will protect you!" Kirche declared and pulled back with equal force.

_You are such an asshole, Farmer…_

* * *

_The next day…_

"Hmph." The green haired woman frowned at the stubborn lock before her and shook her head slightly, muttering, "Of course it would be too easy if it came off even with simple spells…"

With a sigh, she put away her wand and took off her glasses for a small time while glaring at the solid doors.

"The wards placed specifically on this door and around the vault must be too powerful for anyone to break through, seeing as my own specialty in transmutation didn't even make a crack. Jeez, what a waste of time this is…"

Longueville eyed the locked entry once more, scanning around to see any other alternatives.

"There must be another way through." She pondered quietly. "I need to think of a better plan to-"

"Enter?" A sharp voice caused her to go tense and her blood to run cold, all while she cursed inside her mind for allowing herself to get caught in the open and was ready to make a getaway until she recognize the person speaking to her. Turning slowly enough for her to keep up with the casual act, she faced the stoic mercenary standing quietly behind her as he gave the usual stare.

She nearly made sweat drops on her face as she spoke to him in a friendly manner that would fool any passerby inside the school.

"Oh, you nearly made me jump, Mr. Cutler! Don't scare me like that." Her smile was not forced too much to look unnatural. The secretary hoped that it would be enough to make it believable and that he did not know of her plotting.

". . ."

"You're not supposed to be in here, by the way. This area is restricted to faculty members only." She gave a gentle chastising remark, but leaned forward with a wink. "But I won't tell anyone, so your secret is safe with me~."

"Hm."

. . .

. . .

"Is there something you need?"

. . .

". . ." The man's eyes glanced toward the venerable doors and nudged his head at it. "A vault?"

Longueville casted her view back to the same spot and nodded, still smiling.

"Why yes, it is. All of the old items such as relics and artifacts are stored in there. In fact, I was about to catalogue the treasury before I realized that I forgot to ask the headmaster to borrow his key." She explained.

"Curious." Was all he said to her before switching his eyes back toward the young woman.

She nodded again, her voice still retaining a sweet tone, "Yes, they are quite curious to look at. Most of them are very old, so carefulness is needed to handle such priceless objects."

"Of course." Cutler blinked once and fixed her another vacant look that lasted for a few seconds, before turning around to take his leave without any goodbyes.

She blinked twice behind him and gazed at his back with a confused expression as he walked further away from her until he was out of sight through the opposite doorway, "Well, that was… somewhat strange, to put it."

Longueville then spotted a moving light near the same doorway in front of her and saw Jean Colbert just entering inside the room with a lit lamp in his hand.

"Miss Longueville? I wasn't expecting anyone to be in here." He said to her, walking closer. "So why are you here?"

Keeping the same façade that she did with the quiet soldier, the secretary explained to him of what she was supposed to be doing and that she could not enter the vault without borrowing key in the first place, prompting the balding professor to nod at her story. With all that done she then tried to excuse herself out, pretending to be busy, and was halfway to the entry before she heard him call out for her.

"Ah! Just a moment of your time, please!" Colbert nearly cried out.

"Hm?" She turned her body around to see what he wanted. "Is something the matter?"

He rubbed the back of his head nervously as well as his voice grew hesitant when Colbert tried to speak out the words, "Well… you see… Well, would it be alright…?"

"Eh?"

"Would it be alright…? Um… how would you like lunch with me?" Colbert finally blurt it out to her.

Puzzlement grew on her face as she tried to digest what he had just said to her in a short amount of time before smiling once more and nodded, "Sure… it would be my pleasure."

Colbert grew mildly excited at her acceptance of his small request and gestured for her to follow.

"R-really? I mean, wonderful! Shall we, then?" Both of them walked side-to-side as Longueville started a new conversation while trying to play it off as an innocent contemplation.

"Hey, Mr. Colbert, do you know of the Staff of Destruction?" She asked.

Not at all suspicious toward the question, he gladly answered it right away, "Yes, I've seen it before. It held a peculiar shape for something to be called a 'staff'. I've never seen anything like it before, so I don't know how to properly explain it."

"Even so," the secretary continued, "the treasury here is quite brilliant."

Colbert nodded his head in agreement, "It is. We had numerous Square-Class mages designed different magical deterrents for the vault. It's a work of art against anyone harboring thoughts of ever breaking into the treasury room. But…"

"But?"

"…I think there is a possible weakness that would make all the protection spells applied on the vault moot if greater physical force is used against the building. Something like a large golem might do it."

"Really? So the impenetrable treasury might have a crack in its armor? Such a thing might put the entire artifacts at risk if someone with a dubious goal discovered it." Longueville effortlessly feigned wariness at his words.

"Haha! Indeed, it might. But who else is going to find out about it if it's only kept between us?" The professor guffawed lightheartedly. "Likewise, it is only a theory. I doubt anything can break through the many wards placed on the treasury."

"If you say so~." She hummed along the lines. "It is still a scary thought to imagine all of the prized collections disappear at the wrong moment when we at least expected it."

"True…" As both of them left the dimly lit hallway, their faint chatters went on farther away until they have completely exited outside. "…The cook knows me quite well… anything made for us…"

The entrance to the treasury became silent, for a short while, until a certain someone stepped inside the room again with a device in his hand as he approach the enchanted doors knowing that the coast is clear.

"Hm…" Cutler patted the large ammunition pouch strapped on his left upper thigh and stared at the solid doors with keen eyes. "'Physical force'. Explosives should work, but where to find and how?"

His brows furrowed at its simple design that gave off the look of a fragile barrier, yet the mentioning of powerful wards guarding the items behind them boosted the defense of the entire treasury. The temptation to go further with the idea of breaking-and-entering, along with taking anything that is of value or use, was not strong for him to go with haste as he knew someone else might attempt to do so at a later time. When that time comes, he will be ready to go in and out quickly with whatever he can find.

Letting himself be known to Longueville might not have been the brightest thing he should have done, as she might suspect him of his dubious curiosity. Then again, she herself was doing something less honest than what might appear to be a blunder such as attempting to enter the vault illegally. Oh, he knew what he heard and saw when he walked in without stirring up any noise.

Cutler's eyes darted to the large lock still attached to the simple grand doors.

The mercenary heard her mention something of transmutation. Did she mean to deconstruct the materials for an easy access? This world, in an opposite spectrum, held more surprises much like the Zone has offered. A biological hereditary ability that can only be passed down through bloodlines, it more or less rivals with his world's more modern and open minded technological power by doing the somewhat impossible.

But as their magic can do extraordinary actions that no logic can provide, they also have their limit such as an internal reserve in the user's body that recharges slowly over time. If used too much, the mage's body becomes strained and exhausted to the point of death if overexertion is allowed. In a rough analogy, it would be like a car running out of gas or a firearm with no more bullets to expend.

Information like this to a modern society would be invaluable against the denizens of Halkginia if a war ever struck between them.

It would be a Civilization V in a science vs fantasy setting in a nutshell if such a thing happened.

And this world will come to know of modern day earth's knowledge and spit at it when his revolution comes to life. Like all of mankind, the people in power will fear what they do not understand and hate what they cannot control.

The people will sail forward, soon. The old ways will become nothing more but a silly outdated and crude memory that will remain long forgotten after the rise of a new system. Albion will change for better or worse when his plans have been executed.

But someone will need to lead them, for his only intentions are to make the waves. Cutler never really intended to lead a rebel army if it meant the risk of painting a target on his head so easily. No, he needs a person who isn't afraid of showing his face and is willing to back his threats up when other nations decides to get pushy.

But who is the best candidate?

"Who… is the best leader?"

The quiet man decided to stare at the door for a very long time to think it over, while only the silence stayed with him as it always did. After that, he left through the same way he entered without a trace, just as it should always be.

"Time to go outside. The small 'master' is waiting…"

* * *

"Where have you been?" Louise called out to the mercenary walking slowly towards them at the stables. "We have been waiting for you. Come along, I am getting all of you proper weapons."

"Proper weapons?" Farmer inquired with a cocked head. "But we already have better weapons! What's going to replace them? Swords? Knives? Clubs?"

The pinkette made an exasperated noise at his ignorant question. "They may be 'better' than what I intend to buy, but they are not honorable at all! No self-respecting mage should be surrounded by servants with barbaric weapons like firearms!"

"These 'barbaric weapons' had just defeated a person who wields magic that should not be possible in real-life logic. Would you rather we fought with our fists instead? Shall we charge forward into the fray like fools just to make it fair? Or do you prefer that we stand still for the Nobles to make it _easier_ for them?" The mercenary's curt tone made her twitch slightly at his forthright jab.

_Calm yourself down, Louise. Remember the Rule of Steel._ The short girl refused to allow herself to be compromised by anger from just harsh words coming from a disgruntled sellsword.

"Honor is for idiots. You fight to win or you die a fool." The childish adult blurted without care, prompting another small twitch for her. "Just admit it, pinky. You're afraid of having your entitlement threatened by someone with a bigger stick now. With the drastic effectiveness from the introduction of rapid fire projectiles, it won't be long before the rest of this world knows that the common people can fight mages on equal ground. Who knows? Maybe this kind of change will be good for everyone being suppressed."

"Cease your **heresy** with such slanderous talk!" Louise burst angrily at him. "Do you want us to get into heaps of trouble if the others hear it from any of you out in the open!?"

"Or what? Is your Brimir going to come down here and zap us with his 'holy magic'?" Farmer snorted out loud. "I would be surprised if he even exists!"

"Shut up, Small Farmer! She is only acting what everyone in this world believes as a proper way of socializing. It is not her fault for being taught that way." The tall blond snapped.

The brash man pointed a finger to his chest with a mild frown, "Oh yeah. Being constantly subjugated under fear and threats is _totally_ normal, just like any other society! Thanks for proving me wrong, **buddy**."

Now Louise felt more fury rising to her head, but tried to keep her voice constrained to only a minimum while her partners kept gibbering at one another with useless or offensive talk. At least her gentleman, Shishak, tended to her cares more than the rest of these useless, disrespectful heathens.

"I don't think pretending to be her familiars is working out as we thought it would." Saito pointed out, partly distracted by the horses eating their fill of hay from the troughs. "We always break out of character and see the submissive treatment as a joke. Plus, all of us stand out more than Louise."

Farmer lifted up one of his armpits and gave a long sniff, much to her chagrin. Luckily for her, no one else was around to see it happen. "When was the last time I had a bath? The day I left, the showers were still being fixed in the Skadovsk. I still smell like shit from yesterday."

"Speaking of shit," Shishak glared at Farmer, "what you said to our dearie was uncalled for last night. You need to apologize to her, now."

"_Our Dearie?_" The odd man asked, slightly flabbergasted. "What are we, a married couple now? Does that make Cutler the grumpy uncle?"

". . ." The quiet mercenary said nothing, as per usual, being more absorbed with other matters such as stroking the mane of a horse as it ate it a small bushel of hay in its mouth.

Judging from his face, Louise easily deduced that he wasn't pleased to hear marriage joke at a time like this. That is what she likes about him; he took matters more seriously and is more mature than the insane sky-colored brute or the stone-faced hired smart mouth. Both do not know how to properly address her with respect she deserves.

Though, she would have to do something about that burnt odor from his clothing. A good wash should take care of it. He also means well, but he doesn't seem to be strong-willed.

_As if he is hiding something about his personal life. _

"Well, what are you waiting for?" He gestured Farmer toward her.

With a breathy sigh and a few words muttered under his breath, Farmer turned to the pinkette mage with a small frown on his face. She braced herself for any loud insults ready to be thrown in.

"I'm sorry, Louise, that you had to hear that from me…" He began.

Louise's face was still stiff, but her eyes softened at his attempt of a humble apology as he continued to finish half of what he is going to say.

_That was easy. Perhaps he is being sincere this time…_

"…since you're still a spoiled little crybaby who wants to keep the silver spoon in her mouth and seriously needs to grow the hell up."

_Why you little…!_

"**DISRESPECTFUL INSECT!**" In mere seconds she found herself lying on the ground once again, dazed from her dirtied landing. In front of her, the handsome bartender was quick to berate the chortling buffoon sticking his tongue out at her while she lay on the ground.

From the corner of her eyes, the young mage saw Cutler still gently patting a horse, moving on to a different stock this time.

And of course, Saito, who stood out more than these unknown warriors, was not what she expected at the end of the summoning ritual. Foolishly brave like that idiot Farmer, slightly aware of what is going on similar to the defiant Cutler, and even easy to look at it like Shishak…

…Wait. Did she actually think him as such? By the Founder, she must be going slowly mad from the past events after summoning them. To have a silly thought that she would be attracted to him is pure nonsense. Besides, she is already betrothed to someone else…

…someone closer to her than any other men could ever dream of.

. . .

. . .

_Sigh…_

"…I am being serious about this! That is no way to act so boorishly in public like a demented fool on drugs!"

"Blabblahblah! Bitch bitch bitch! That is all I am hearing from you! I can act my age whenever the fuck I want, asshole!"

"Hey guys, aren't we supposed to be heading out to somewhere?"

". . ."

. . .

_When I asked for a wise, powerful, and beautiful familiar, I did not mean 'Give me each person with a trait I wanted'! Now I have to deal with these clowns for the rest of my life!_

"Why couldn't it be a dragon instead?" Louise asked herself quietly as she continued her self-pitied grumbling once again.

* * *

_A/N: Sorry it took long. I was busy goofing off, as usual. Hopefully this chapter makes more sense than the last ones. I also did try to make this one longer, but I couldn't find any good filler for it. Anyway, please critique and have a good day! _


	6. Chapter 5: Heavy on the Powder

**A/N:** The usual as always, here's chapter 5. Much more planning and scheming here.

Also, like I said, please give your critique on anything about the story if you see something wrong with it. Otherwise, enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 5

**Heavy on the Powder**

* * *

"Christ, I didn't know riding a horse would mean having sore nuts!" Farmer griped, walking in an awkward fashion like how the cowboys would do in a Wild West duel.

Louise glanced at him and frowned, "For a skilled soldier, you surely complain too much. Are all commoners from your world foul-mouthed bleaters?"

"Nope. Just me, sweetie. Just me." The man answered smugly, before reverting back to an annoyed tone. "And I'm not a 'soldier'. My own military are a bunch of greedy shitheads that would rather shoot at us to take our hard earned artifacts than barter for them, don't ask why. I am called a _Treasure Hunter_."

"Even so, you are not much of a useful familiar _or_ treasure hunter if you haven't ridden on a horse before."

"Pinky, I'm used to _walking_ the long distance. No one's perfect. Heck, horseback riding is something of an unnecessary luxury from where I come from. The horses wouldn't have survived the poison from the land anyway."

"You mean this 'Zone' you were yelling about in the previous nights?" She asked.

Farmer scratched his face a little at her mentioning. It was almost as if he felt nervous hearing it, "Yeah, the Zone. I rather not talk about it now. There are too many people here."

"Why are you being so secretive about it?" Louise continued to poke at the conversation. "Is it where you find your precious artifacts?"

"What part of 'I rather not talk about it' do you not understand, Louise?"

"Don't get edgy with me! I'm just asking if that is the land you speak of!"

"_**Yessss!**_" he nearly hissed out the words through his teeth. "That is why I want to keep it between _ourselves!_"

Saito stretched his arms over his head and gave his neck a brief crack before interrupting their talk, "I would say riding in a car could be better, but look at how narrowed these streets are. A compact vehicle wouldn't be able to fit in here."

_And imagine what an odd sight it would be if these people here ever saw one._

The previously tensed man gave a quiet sigh of relief for the change of subject while their pink-haired partner raised her brow at the boy.

"What are you talking about? Bourdonné Street has the widest avenue in Tristainia. The palace is just straight ahead." Louise pointed at the largest building on top a hill range far from where they were standing at. "Also, what is a car?"

"A mechanical vehicle made of steel that uses combustion by burning gasoline to drive itself, no horses required." Farmer explained.

"How would a metal vehicle be able to move with that much weight, and what is gasoline?" The young mage asked.

"It is a refined fuel much stronger than the crude oil used here and is consumed by a powerful engine to spin the wheels."

"En-jin?"

"Never mind. I'll tell you later."

"What a beautiful city…" Shishak murmured delightfully, ignoring his strained legs as he took in the sights. "It has been far too long since we have seen full buildings. Yes, I could do some browsing around this place."

Hearing his words of praise, Louise beamed at him, "Tristainia is the busiest capital city of this country. A cultural monument of trade and wealth as it should always be."

Farmer scoffed at her presentation, "What a boring name for a capital city if it just uses the same title from its kingdom and modified it."

"Then what kind of name is Cav-eiv for your town?" The short pinkette fumed irritably.

"It's pronounced _Kiev_, Louise. Key-ehv."

"I believe it's now called 'Kyiv' with a Key-eve, not Kiev." Shishak corrected.

"But they both sound the same." Louise interjected with her brows furrowed in confusion.

The treasure hunter shrugged his shoulders, "Eh, I'm used to calling it with an 'ie' than a 'yi'. I admit that sometimes the Russian language makes more sense than our Ukrainian."

"Finally, there is something out of your mouth that does not sound like a raging nationalist." The bartender made a cheeky smirk.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me," Farmer snapped his fingers when he heard this, "Vlad is still a dickhead."

Instead of getting offended by his rude comment, the tall blond nodded his head slowly, "I don't disagree with you on that, honestly."

The stalker only looked at him with suspicion, "Right… I still don't trust you, filthy drink server."

"Are you two always this hostile every day?" The pinkette cocked her head at their trivial spat. "I swear, the both of you tend to be at each other's neck all the time even when an agreement has been reached."

Shishak patted her head cheerfully with a tender smile, causing her face to redden at the sudden affection, "Oh, don't mind him dearie. He is just a grumpy young fool who is still stuck believing in the power of his own nationality from their glorious days."

"I'm 25, asshat," Farmer flipped him the bird, "and I'm actually more progressive than your restrictive candy ass gun laws in Russia."

"They are strict with the firearm laws because the people preferred it over allowing others to carry weapons for self-defense." He retorted back calmly. "Unlike your over-eagerness to have a concealed carry if you can prove that someone is threatening you."

"Better to be armed against the crazies than get killed by them."

Shishak's deadpan expression said otherwise as he turned to Louise, "See what I mean?"

". . ." Cutler said nothing and only stared straight ahead.

"Hey Cutler," The stalker limped faster from behind until he was a couple feet away, "do you ever relax at all? Come on, it's not like we're going to walk into an ambush at every corner."

The mercenary continued to stay silent, which earned him a small headshake from Farmer as the strange group strode past the rows of wooden stands with vendors selling their wares. Some of them would hold cooked foods while others displayed handcrafted items of common or exotic merchandises.

"Wow, look at all those things for sale." The boy edged closer to one of the stalls before he felt a strong pinch tugging on his ear. "Ouch! That hurts, Louise!"

"Then don't walk around the corners so carelessly! There are many thieves that like to target outsiders for pickpocketing. You _are_ holding on to my wallet in your jacket, by the way."

"Yeah… yeah, I'll be careful." He nodded in understanding and fell back with the group.

Farmer patted his shoulder with a small grin, "She's right, you know. In a bustling marketplace like this, there always the thieving types that prey on the unsuspected. It can be anyone."

"Including other mages who are dressed like the rest of the common people," The mercenary solemnly added, "mostly dishonored."

"That is correct." She noted his spot-on knowledge. "All Nobles are mages, but not all mages are Nobles."

"And yet, another helpful advice from his grouchiness. Good thing we went light and took our sidearms instead." The stalker joked and patted his pockets around. "Make sure you guys check your belongings. Don't want to wind up with a missing gun or something else valuable."

While they checked their persons for anything they have carried, Louise continued to lead them into the less crowded area on the street. Buildings with wordless signs hung on their posts, ranging from a large bottle to an anvil.

Shishak pointed at one of them, "It is safe to assume that not everyone knows how to read, judging from the signs."

"Well, duh. This _is_ similar to the medieval period. Only difference is that magic is not seen as witchcraft and most of the people using it are elitist assholes."

"Does everything that comes out of your mouth have to be a deliberate insult!?" The pink-haired girl snapped. Saito couldn't help but agree with her this time.

Farmer waved his hand over his shoulder, "It's kind of true if you look at how poorly the kids back at the academy treat those below them."

"That is because they-!"

"And don't tell me they are entitled to it for protecting the non-magic people. That is a shitty excuse to act like they can do what they want, if I've ever heard it before. Besides, the very same class that you're supposed to be in didn't hesitate to make fun of your problems even though you are one of them." He shut her down quickly before she could finish.

"I mean, look at Guiche, for example. He tried to pin the blame on an innocent girl just so he can get away from his troubles. What might happen then if we weren't there to put a stop to it?"

". . ."

Instead of replying back, Louise stayed quiet and continued to walk to the destination while they followed her. Her stance went rigid from the truth, but it did not seem like she wanted to accept his words so easily. As much as she is a pain to deal with sometimes, Saito felt sympathy toward the short pink-haired girl for being treated like an outcast from her peers. Thinking about it, he figured that he and the rest of the Stalkers are held in a similar light just like her.

"That's what I thought."

. . .

. . .

. . .

As they tread forward, the smell of rot and garbage lingered in the air from a small path covered with filth. There were less people around them, some even shady looking while the gang kept going.

The treasure hunter nudged the young man with his elbow gently, "Keep your eyes open for anything suspicious. We're on the wrong side of the tracks now, so make sure your gun is ready to be out on any given notice."

Saito gave a clear nod and made sure his right hand was near the pistol, while Shishak and Cutler did the same.

"Good call, Small Farmer." Shishak's eyes scanned around.

"Yeah, whatever, this place smells like shit. When are we going to get to this weapon shop?" The man glances around the surrounding area in hopes of spotting a recognizable sign. "It would be better for us to get off this street quickly before trouble comes our way."

"Coming from someone who revels in it," The pinkette spoke up snidely, "trouble would be your favorite pastime."

"_Oh definitely, pinky! I like to put myself in deadly situations to challenge myself for whether or not I might come out of it alive just for the hell of it._" Traces of heavy sarcasm dripped in Farmer's voice as they passed by a sign that looks like a potion bottle. "What do you take me for, an idiot?"

_This part of the city seems no different than ours. It's like a wider alleyway for criminals to walk freely without fear of persecution._

"You are an arrogant, insane, salacious, and insolent dung-for-brain brute who can't even stay quiet for a second without breaking the peace by going so far as to be infuriatingly annoying as **POSSIBLE!** That is what I think of you!" Louise threw her hands up, shouting in anger as she glared at him with intent to bore holes.

"And you're a midget!" He yelled back in a whiny tone.

"I know I am short, you buffoon! This is exactly what I meant by insanity!"

Saito shook his head at the intended weak reply from the man child, "Hey Louise, is this the place over there?"

He pointed at a shop with a bronze sign depicting a sword. "Because I think this might be it."

She was this close to snapping at him for interrupting before her eyes caught the familiar sight of the object he was pointing at and heaved a deep sigh through her clench teeth.

"Yes, this is the right place. I remember it being the same as it always been." She paced herself away from Farmer and opened the door. "Let's go inside and get what we need."

They all entered inside the small shop and saw that it was dimly dark with much scarce light from the flickering gas lamps compared to the bright outdoors. Arrays of weapons were displayed on shelves and tables, the arms themselves lay disorganized while a suit of plated armor stood on the right side against the wall. A lanky bucktoothed man with a pair of glasses and a rather large nose sat behind a wooden counter and eyed the group entering his premises with suspicion as he smoke his wooden pipe.

The shopkeeper's demeanor then became friendlier when he spotted the pentagon emblem on the golden button holding Louise's cape together. "Ah, my Noble lady! Fret not for any dubious activities, for all my wares are authentic and fair in price! There is nothing criminal here!"

_Do the Nobles really have a large effect on the people here?_ Saito watched the owner keeping a forced smile on.

"You can relax, I will be your cus-"

"Hey dude, how much is that sweet-ass knight armor over there?" Of course, there are people like Farmer who did not care about class and acted independently, if not stubbornly, from the rest of this society.

Louise shot a death glare at the practically bouncing man getting giddy over the same steel plated suit with the sloped cover behind the flip up, visor-slit helmet.

"Oh man! I can use this baby for a mobile smokehouse any time I want to blaze a joint!" He exclaimed, prompting Shishak to shake his head silently in disappointment.

While the other three males, including Saito, checked out the weapons, Louise tried hard not to get unnerved and continued to talk with the owner.

"Don't mind him. He was born mentally ill and does not know what manners are. Please don't pay him any attention."

"I can hear you over there, Louise! Now then, how much is the suit?"

"This finely crafted armor, made from a prestigious Germanian artisan, sir, is worth 25,000 New Gold coins." The shopkeeper answered with a slight gleam in his eyes. "There is no other protection better than what I sell!"

"Forget it! I only have enough to purchase swords for my familiars!" She blurted out from hearing the high price and pointed at Farmer. "Plus, you already have armor in the first place!"

"Then keep your money, I got something more valuable than what you have! I don't need a sword anyway." Farmer searched around his vest pockets as he said this. "Now where did I put it?"

_What is he doing now?_

Louise scoffed at his claim while he dug out something small at last. "And what exactly do you have that can rival the wealth of a Noble?"

"Enough to buy my own castle and still spend comfortably well at my own leisure." He yawned lightly. "I'm from the exotic lands of Rub' al Khali, remember?"

This got the full attention of the middle-aged looking shopkeeper when he heard what the slightly unhinged man have to say. "Normally all my prices are final with no acceptance of trade, but I am willing to hear your offer just because you piqued my curiosity, good sir."

"Oh, believe me. You won't regret what I am about to show you!" Farmer flashed a confident grin and walked up to him. "Feast your eyes upon this high quality herbal remedy!"

"Herbal… remedies?" Shishak blinked once at the contents in the bag. "What _are you_ trying to sell?"

Instead of answering a question that did not concern him, the treasure hunter brushed past the pinkette and came to the countertop with a plastic bag of green herbs held in his right hand. "I'll barter this for your suit!"

. . .

. . .

"What am I looking at, exactly? This look likes dried grass."

_He's going to trade a bag of weed for an expensive suit of armor? Really, man?_

"Oh, it does look like it, but don't be fooled by its simple appearance!" He gave the plastic zip lock a light shake. "This here is the…"

* * *

"…the Oasis Heart!" My voice gave a proud declaration in my sales pitch. "Just recently discovered from an isolated natural oasis pond, this herb can heal wounds like no other. Even the grievous cuts, stabs, burns, and scrapes will close up in mere minutes! It's so great that no magic can rival its tremendous healing properties!"

No, not really.

The arms dealer leaned forward to get a closer look and pointed at the bag. "And what is that holding your herbs? It looks like glass!"

"This?" I pressed my finger between the plastic films. "This, my good man, is a material called plastic! Not only is it durable like a cotton sack, it can hold much more weight than it appears and it is much lighter and convenient to carry in your pockets or as extra compartment inside your baggage. Pretty handy for long on-the-go travels and preserving edibles, but don't put anything sharp in it or else it will tear a hole."

"Interesting…" The bucktooth rat face rubs his chin in contemplation as he squinted at the Zone weed. "I don't suppose you have any more of these 'plastic' items, do you?"

Still keeping up with my act, I shook my head heavily. "I'm afraid not, fellow. I don't have a surplus of them with me, but I'll gladly give you this one for free if you are willing to trade that good suit of armor for my herbs."

Again, the ratty man stared hard at the bag in my hand, then slowly toward my smiling face and leaned back slightly. "I want to see a demonstration right now. No tricks or any magic from her. If I see any foul play, then I'll have all of you arrested and thrown out of my shop. Is that clear?"

"Crystal, my good sir, you won't see any trickery from any of us!" I open the bag and pinched a small amount of the strong weed in my fingers. "In fact, I'll use that pipe of yours to show you that this is not a fraud product, if you don't mind."

A short amount of thinking later, he handed me the wooden pipe with mild confusion. I only held my salesman smile and wiped the small end that was in his mouth and hoped that he wasn't infected with diseases that should know of. Next, I dumped what was left of the contents inside the pipe on the counter and replaced it with the weed; my 'customer' was generous enough to light it for me. I then set it down on the table afterwards and start to take off my left glove.

"In order to get the full effects of it, you need to smoke it like any other burning substance and inhale it into your body deeply. If you feel a soothing calmness inside, then you know it's working properly."

I pulled out the hunting knife on me and prepared the tip of the edge angled against my open palm after placing my left hand on the counter for him to see. "Now, watch carefully!"

Sharp pain erupted from the now bleeding palm after I pressed the blade against skin. No sound came out of my mouth but I did show a slight wince on my jaw. Everyone except the merc also flinched at the seemingly deep cut on my hand, but the artifacts on my belt will take care of that nasty wound soon enough.

For dramatic effects, being me as I like to prove my point, I showed everyone how real it is by holding it up for them to see. "See this? This is a genuine cut! Now watch it do the job that no other mage can do it better!"

With that, I put the wooden pipe in my mouth and sucked in the invigorating flavor of good ol' hash, trying hard to ignore the burnt residue leftover that tasted wrong on my tongue as I blow out the smoke. God, what kind of foul shit was he smoking? Eww….

"Observe closely! This is a one-time opportunity to see it work!" My bleeding hand was laid down on the same countertop again. The owner of the shop stared at my bloodied appendage rather too closely for my comfort while I sheathed the knife back, but if I was willing to cut myself to make a great steal then I'll deal with his ugly mug as well.

Now most people would call me a hypocrite for cheating an honest worker out of his hard earned items since only loser bandits (and Snag) do that, but if those people took another look at the wares he is selling they would know that a lot of them look too nice to be considered 'weapons'. Aesthetics are nice, but they don't work well with fighting. Imagine a nice blade breaking in the middle of a skirmish or an embossed plated armor getting pierced or bent easily because of how it is built without looking over the structural weakness. Ornate decoration is fine, but not too much since the bling will only make you a bigger target.

So if I'm really conning an honest person, then of course I would admit it… maybe.

But, seeing how this guy's stuff is all flashy as if he's trying to trick the customers into buying nice things that will eventually breakdown in a couple battles, I am more or less innocent of wronging a person earning their keep and obviously guilty of scamming the scammer. He would also make a lousy keeper of secrets as well, so he's off the project's members list for good.

The suit though, on the other hand, is authentic enough to know by its gleam. A dull shine on the layer means that the steel is good and strong. It doesn't take a genius figure out that the most boring thing you get is the most effective when it saves your life without breaking.

"Amazing! The wound is closing, just like you said it would do!" Bucky the rat went ecstatic over my rapidly healing left hand. "You really are telling the truth!"

Hehehe, what a sucker.

"Of course, why would I lie? This is a very rare herb! Can you see how well this opportunity is going for you?" I exclaim in cheerful exaggeration.

Oh man, this is the good shit…

"How much is this marvelous plant in your market trade?"

"Oh, I would say… 500,000 New Gold."

At the mentioning of my bogus price, I could have sworn his jaw was ready to fall off at any given moment. Louise had the same reaction, her eyes almost bulging out of her sockets.

"BY BRIMIR! Why are you trading away a high priced ingredient for something as common as this simple armor?" The loudmouth short pint shouted in surprise. "Such a waste!"

Wow, I even got pinky to believe my little con show. I'm not sure if I should tell her that this 'high priced' healing herb is actually a drug for relaxing. A very _illegal_ drug, but she doesn't need to know that part.

All in all, I'm getting knight armor for a bag of strong weed. That is a total win for me.

"The gothic sallet and bevor matches you perfectly." I couldn't tell if Cutler was being sarcastic, honest, or both, but I didn't give a shit cause' FREE ARMOR MOTHERFUCKA! WOO!

I could tell that the beady eyed man was about to drool over how much gold he was going to make once he take my offer. He probably thinks that Louise is right and that I must be really insane to give away my 'prized' possession so easily. What he doesn't know is that I'm this close to playing him as the fool, not the other way around.

"So, now that you've seen its miraculous effects, what is your say?" I asked him, trying hard not to burst out into a fit of laughter as I flex my now fully healed, but scabbed, palm.

"What is my say? I say you have yourself a deal!" He held his hand out for us to shake, to which I did so with a strong grip and then pushed the bag toward him. "Enjoy your new protection, my good man!"

"Oh, I most definitely will, sir!" My lively voice matches his while I continued to feel the pleasant buzz going in my mind. I made a silly grin and turn to my now owned suit of armor.

Haha, I still can't believe I've managed to pull it off so easily. If I didn't have the Firefly and Mama's Beads on me right now, shit would've gone bad for us.

"I can't believe he actually pulled it off," I could hear Saito whisper quietly to the 'bartender' next to him, "that's sneaky."

"Crafty, yes." Shishak mumbled his reply and nodded.

Cutler looked over the suit, eyeballing every detail he could find for a couple minutes before giving me a short nod and said, "I suggest you try the armor on first to feel the fit of it."

"Yeah," I nearly slurred my words and try not to giggle at his play of words, "Yeah, you're right! Hey shopkeeper, you got a changing room around here? I'm not going to be able to carry this with me on my back, you know?"

The big-nosed man (Jesus fucking Christ that is one huge lump on his face) mildly frowned as he put away the small baggy into his pocket, "Unfortunately, I have none to spare as I mainly deal in arms, not armor. Judging from your unique sack, I doubt you would be able to fit all the dissembled pieces in it."

Damn, maybe I might have to strip in here.

"Though, I do have a small storeroom that might suit your needs. Of course, you will need to leave your bag with you." He gestured at my backpack before leaving the counter to take down the armor set from the mannequin. "This won't take long for me."

"Yeah, sure thing, I can just leave it with someone. Hey Saito, be a good buddy and hold on to my stuff, please." I called over to him while he was busy ogling at the wide range of swords.

"Alright." He came over to me and grabbed my pack when I held it out for him. "By the way, nice score on the armor, pal."

I bobbed my head with a silly grin, "Thanks."

As we waited for the shopkeeper to do his thing, Louise could only stare at me in utter disbelief for carelessly trading away a 'highly valuable' botany for something that she would see as trivial. I knew better then to let her know that I was actually swindling the greasy bastard out of his profit. The less Louise knew about my business, the more I can get away with it.

"Need some help carrying that to the room?" I asked the store owner.

"Why yes, thank you. Right this way, kind sir." While he carried the chest plate, gauntlet pieces, and leggings, I followed him with the chainmail shirt, leggings, gloves, and the padded undergarment such as the coat and the leggings to wear under that mail and plate. Basically, there is a lot of stuff to wear. It didn't look simple to put on, either. Something tells me this might take a while for me to put all this stuff on properly to prevent chafing. Taking it apart and putting it back on would be a hassle if I plan to use it every day. Sleeping in it would make sense, but I don't know how uncomfortable it would be.

Another question I almost forgot to think over is how the hell would I be able to go to the bathroom in this thing? There's no butt plate, so do I lift up the mail skirt or something?

"Here we are." The door to the storeroom was soon opened and I can see that it was small, but not too small for me to get cramped inside. It was empty, beside the shelves and a small table, so the risk of theft shouldn't be a big concern for him unlike that con show I did back there. I sure played him good.

"So, how do I put this thing on?" We entered the room and unloaded my medieval crap carefully on the floor. "Is there an instruction manual for this suit?"

"I do not know of what you speak of, but I am more than happy to guide you quickly about it." He pointed at me. "First, you must remove your current attire. That reminds me, I should give you the inner layer to wear with the padding for the armor. Free of charge, to show my appreciation of our trade."

"Why thank you. You're very generous." I tipped my helmet with a grin as he left the room to get what I need.

"When you are done undressing, please call me over so that we may begin. I must get back to assisting your master's request for her swords. It won't take long, I assure you."

"Sure thing, no rush."

I wonder if I can apply Kevlar on this plated suit for better protection against bullets. I'm sure the steel itself would stop the musket balls from a long range, but closer than that and I'll end up with broken bones than bruised muscles. Along with that, what if there are others armed like us? I'll be a walking target tin can if they have rifle rounds.

The helmet came off first before the rest of the outfit so that my head won't bob around by every shift of the weight on my head. Doing so, I placed it on the small table began to unclip my gun holster and artifact containers, then continued on with the tactical Kevlar vest and suit until I was down to my tighty-whities and balaclava (since I might need it for the helmet).

Right, so it only took me 3 minutes to unbuckle, unzip, and undo whatever is on the CS-1a suit that I am going to pack inside my backpack, but what about the vest itself?

Oh wait, what if I can put it on the plated armor? That way, I'll have access to better protection, my mags, and my weed much easier than having to carry it in makeshift pouches. Only question is whether or not it'll fit and if it doesn't add the extra weight.

Though, I'll probably have a better fit with the holster and container by wearing the belt just like with my modern suit. If I have the time and money, I'll probably buy a second holster and pouch and tweak it to my liking so that I won't have to keep switching back and forth.

Hell, if I ever open my own business, I'll add armor along with firearms and munitions to make R&amp;D more interesting. Better yet… why not have a hidden facility to keep all the cool technology from prying eyes? I'm sure the kingdoms would love to get their hands on advanced weapons to be use as a turning point for any wars they declare, which means profit and gain, but it'll end up in the wrong hands sooner or later and be used against me when that time comes. The big one for this is if this world is even ready to be exposed to such advancements.

At this rate, maybe. We already demonstrated the power of automatic weapons and a grenade, so I can imagine the mages in the Halkeginia continent trying to quell the progress once the news hit them. If something like a semi-auto pistol can contest power against a simple fireball spell, then who is going to stop me from arming the people below them?

MY people, to be exact; those I can trust in my own crew. Despite what I said to Louise back then before we went off to the capital, what I said about the normal people being able to fight on equal ground was true. What I didn't say is that _all_ of the commoners in this major continent are going to be armed with modern firearms.

Seriously, sometimes I wonder if that girl can tell if I'm bullshitting her or not. She is just too damn narrow-minded to even bother, with her constant preaching of Noble superiority.

I blame the propaganda here. Beliefs like these are the reasons why these brats are cocky enough to think they are invincible. I think Saito's point of their cultural teachings is starting to make more sense now. And maybe Shishak too, but I'm not going to admit it to him just because he is a scumbag bandit. Better find a good spot to hide my artifact collection, by the way.

. . .

"Brrr… it's chilly in here…" Arms crossed against my chest, I sat down on the hard chair and waited for the ratty shopkeeper to comeback with the inner suit.

. . .

. . .

. . .

I think I just traded away my last bag of Zeed for that armor. Great, now how am I going to get high later?

* * *

_Ah, such a fine selection of weapons_… The bandit leader browsed through the shelves of assorted swords, axes, maces, and even sets of spears and a metal flail. Disappointedly, none had any guns to use. He was more comfortable with the Viper 5 and his recently obtained Sip-t M200 from the shrewd Farmer as a sign of goodwill, no matter how much he rants on and on about not trusting him.

It is funny to see how two men of opposite factions grudgingly side with each other to improve their chances of survival. It reminded him of Skadovsk and their neutral ground rules. Of course, Duty, Freedom, and everyone else except mercenaries would rather shoot the bandits on sight with good enough reasons than to let them rob the loot from their fresh corpses.

His eyes moved toward the young man and almost frowned the moment he saw him get excited over a heavily decorated thin bladed sword presented by the seller. A boy at a young age should not be wielding weapons even though he knew that the Farmer was right about teaching him how to fightback. Still, he did not like seeing Saito holding on to that pistol so casually.

Before the man even became a bandit, he was still a father to his teenage daughter. Shishak did not like guns in his home, as they were nothing but trouble loaded for death. Even then, stuck on a world unknown to him, he'd rather have the authorities protect the innocent from the wicked as all lawmen are supposed to do.

Too bad he realized that not all men of peace follow the laws that they enforced upon others; even the military is guilty of this. Despite himself being a criminal to make an affordable living, he felt shame to see soldiers act like robbers and killers as well even though he secretly admit they are more easy to bargain with than a regular loner.

And then there are men like Sultan and the Barkeep who run their own empires, taking advantage of the current instability for their own gains. Just like a game of chess, even rulers would move into occupied territory for more land and resources. How they do it can be of many ways, but the most popular is bribery, intimidation, and violence.

Even in the big lands there is no room for the meek and mild when it comes to domination. It is no different than the Zone as many partakers filled with greed wage their shadow wars behind the scenes.

Like blind dogs fighting over scraps of meat and bones, they don't see the colors of morals as they only know the world by the scent of grey.

"My lady, there have been recent reports of increased crimes of thievery lately. Have you heard of the current news, if I may ask?" The man presenting the sword gave his question.

"Yes, I have, in fact."

"Then you should be fully aware of a mage thief who calls himself 'Fouquet of the Crumbling Dirt' going on a robbery spree upon the nobles in the past days. I heard he has been stealing a lot of their wealth under their noses, which is why many of them have come to my shop to pick up the finest blades such as this to arm their servants."

"Is it becoming a trend of the sort?" Louise asked.

The shopkeeper nodded naturally, "Oh yes, an urgent matter, indeed."

_He uses gossip to instill fear so that many will buy his wares without thinking straight. Simple and effective, but it will not likely to work all the time._

"I'd prefer something bigger and broader than this."

"Of course, my lady," He bowed his head low, "I will be right back."

As soon as he disappeared to the backroom, Shishak decided that now is the best time to give a little warning to her just to be sure she did not get ripped off.

"I suggest you be more wary of this man's products, dearie." He voiced his concern quietly enough for her to hear. "His business looks very fishy."

"There is no need to worry about me, Shishak," Louise shoot him a comforting smile, "I am well aware of any rip off attempts. Thank you, anyway."

He nodded his head and smiled back, "Of course, Louise."

The mercenary stood in front of a display table, staring at the row of daggers for the longest time without saying anything after the Loner got his armor.

_It would be best to leave him be._ Shishak watched Cutler continue his motionless browsing.

_Let the man enjoy his small solitude._

. . .

. . .

"What is taking him so long?" The girl asked herself aloud.

"Perhaps he is checking on Farmer to see if he needs any help." He replied back.

She pressed the top of her nose between her fingers at the mentioning of his name and bitterly muttered, "I can't believe I'm actually going to agree with that harlot's words, but that idiot is more trouble to deal with every time he does something foolish out of nowhere. Why does he continue to be a thorn on my side?"

"I do not know, Louise. He is the sort of person who… How to put this? Hmm…"

"Is he always like this before the Springtime Summoning Ritual?"

Shishak shook his head, "I'm not sure. He was more composed back before we were brought here."

"Maybe Farmer is still confused," Saito inserted his comment, "and that he hasn't gotten used to the different environment yet."

"Very unlikely. The Farmer did not show any signs of struggle with everything he has seen here. At the day of our appearance, he still acted as usual."

"Or maybe he's just acting the way he is now because he never really had a good childhood. Who knows?" The young man shrugged. "All I do know is that he's smarter than he is letting on."

"That doesn't excuse him for being so moronic!" Louise mildly seethed. "If he's so intelligently sane, then why doesn't he act like it!?"

"Well, that's probably what Farmer wants you to think. Remember what he said to the headmaster? Everything he did during the fight against Guiche was just to distract him."

"I find it hard to believe that a brute like him is pretending to be insane when he had just given away a small bag of priceless healing herbs for a pile of clunky protection!" She threw her hands up.

"Yeah… about that…"

"Sorry to keep you waiting, my lady!" Their conversation was cut short when the owner finally arrived holding a shiny golden bladed sword with a jeweled hilt in his hands. "I had to attend to one of your servant's needs."

"That is fine. Now then, what kind of sword is this?" The pink-haired mage queried.

"The very best broadsword that I can offer to you for a reasonable price!" He beamed proudly. "Rather than to say it's for noble, it is more of something they _wish_ to wear on their belt. Of course this sword is meant to be wielded with both hands, but it is still stylish if worn on the back instead."

"Wow!" Saito got closer to see its mirror-like blade that reflected a tremendous glow. "That sword looks very powerful."

_It seems all too good to be true. _The bandit was skeptical of how nice looking it is.

"That sword looks very fake." Cutler spoke abruptly from behind. "Gold is a soft and brittle metal. That blade will snap off right away the moment it hits something hard."

The salesman chuckled at the accusing statement, not at all rattled by his words, "I can assure you that it won't happen with this particularly prized weapon, for it is infused with magic that will allow the wielder to cut through even the toughest metal alloy like butter. See these writings?"

A closer look below the gleaming blade's hilt revealed words etched on the handle, "This is the signature brand of the famous Germanian alchemist Lord Shupei. You can't find any better quality weapon than this!"

"Another questionably priceless item of value made from a vague famous person of whom we know nothing of? Please, continue."

"How much is it?" The mage ignored the smart aleck remark and asked.

"For this special sword, I would say two thousand Ecu or three thousand New Gold coins."

"Then may we see a demonstration from this unique weapon?" Cutler pointed at the large sword. "Something solid like a kettle or a flagon to prove the effectiveness of this 'magic blade', or we will take our business elsewhere."

"That is for me to decide, familiar!" She snapped at the mercenary. "But likewise, I cannot afford to pay for a price so high. You could buy a holiday house for that amount!"

The owner of the store shook his head with pride still clinging to his tone, "It is worth much more than that, my lady. This sword could rival the expenses of a castle, not something as small as a holiday home. As for the demonstration, I'm afraid a weapon this grand is too valuable to be tested."

"So you are being a hypocrite, then." Shishak jumped in before Cutler could say anything. "I suppose the armor you traded away is also worthless as well?"

"Of course not! Such impolite words to say towards an honest dealer with much to quality items to sale!" He rebuked. "And I had you figured for a kind man. I suppose even I can make the wrong judgement."

"Hah! You've already been made a fool anyway if you think they are going to fall for that scheme of yours!" At that moment, a man's voice in a boisterous tone called out of nowhere.

"…!?" Cutler quickly draws his revolver out and pointed at the spot where the voice was coming from. The seller could only pinch between his nose and let out a low groan.

Saito stood there in mild shock, surprised from the sudden change of hostility in the air.

"Familiar, what in the void are you doing!?" Louise admonished at his sudden reaction.

"Whoa there, sharpshooter, you sure are jumpy!" The mysterious man chuckled enthusiastically. "Looks like you haven't slept in a while, seeing that you're kind of twitchy."

The mercenary pans his pistol around, saying nothing in return. This prompted the voice to laugh more at his silence.

"You might need a little more work on your social skills if you think that gun will do the talking for you, pal."

"Derf! Stop antagonizing my customers!" The shopkeeper scolded to no one as if he was talking to the air. "We are in the middle of important business!"

"You old chump! What do you take these men for? Unlike those other clueless saps, these guys knew what they were walking into. Okay, maybe not the kid."

"Hey!"

"Who is there?" The tall blond looked all around and saw nobody else in the vicinity. "Where are you hiding?"

"I'm right where your frozen face friend is pointing at, pretty boy!"

. . .

. . .

. . .

"You are behind a barrel filled with rusted weapons?"

"No. Look more carefully!"

. . .

. . .

"You _are_ the barrel?"

The person in question paused for a moment before a long sigh came afterwards, "Huh, I guess I should have been more specific."

"Wait." While Saito was watching carefully, he noticed that one of the rusty swords in the wooden barrel has a metal guard moving up and down like a mouth and quickly jumped to his conclusion. "You're a talking sword!"

"You are, indeed, correct! And here I thought your eyes were only there for decorations!"

"A sentient weapon?" Louise stared at the mystical blade, pondering over what she was seeing. "As in: a magical, fully aware, intelligent weapon?"

"Yes, my lady. It is all that along with a rotten tongue." The owner gave the self-aware sword a nasty glare while the quiet merc holster his shooter. "He always drives out my customers by arguing with them and never keeps quiet at all! I wonder what kind of mage would make a talking sword with a hard-headed personality."

"Probably someone better than you! Most of your items aren't even forged by your hands, and even some that you have done are too sloppy!" The sword retorted back.

"Shut up, Derf! I'll have you melted down if you keep it up at this rate!"

"Good! I hate this place, anyway!"

As soon as the shopkeeper decided to make due on his words, the mercenary stepped in to stop him. "I would like to purchase that sword from you."

"Eh, now you are interested in buying? Fine by me, at least I'm finally able to be rid of that nuisance." He waved his hand dismissively.

"Sweet! So we are buying Derf?" Saito turned to Louise and asked her. "Right? It would be a big waste to have him be thrown away like that!"

"That's _Derflinger_ to you, boy!"

The pinkette eyed the sword with mild distaste showing on her face and reluctantly said, "I don't know… it looks too ugly and damaged to be considered a weapon. Can't we pick a prettier weapon that doesn't _talk_?"

"Dearie, just because a weapon looks very nice doesn't mean it will perform better than an ugly or plain one." Shishak lectured her thoroughly so she can understand. "If you pick a weapon or armor that has too many decorations, it won't be very durable to withstand any force against it."

"Funny, you don't seem to fit the picture of an expert on the metalwork." The seller narrowed his eyes at him.

The pseudo-bartender returned the subtle disdain with a bored look on his face, "I have a lot of time on my hand, so I like to find different things to do other than sit around and do nothing."

Derflinger barked out a loud laugh from hearing this, "Hahahaha! Good for you, blondie! Can you wield a sword, by any chance?"

Shishak shook his head, "I am only good with a knife. I would be too clumsy with a sword."

"Oh, well, that's a shame. How about you, sir frowns-a-lot?"

"I prefer shorter blades," Cutler pulls out his single-edged combat knife from its plastic sheathe and shows it to the sword, "especially the ones with a weighted blade that can be used for multiple tasks."

"Okay, I guess that's a 'no'." Disappointment can be heard from him. "Oi, boy! Are you good with one?"

Just like the other two, Saito's answer was not satisfying to hear, "I don't even know how to wield a sword. Sorry."

"Geez, girly! You sure know how to pick 'em! What kind of noble would have a bunch of familiars who don't even know how to fight with style?" Derf came off snappy. "Let alone, fight with weapons fit for burglars and thieves."

"How impolite!" Louise huffed.

"We have guns, too." The merc pointed out.

"_Wonderful!_ So all of you have those newfangled flintlocks I keep hearing about!" Now the magical talking sword was starting to sound more crossed at his growing misfortunes. "But none of you know anything about swordplay. I'd figured I will be bought as a souvenir instead of being used for a fitting role."

"Actually…" Saito tried to be careful with the next sentence he was about to say, "…they are much more better than flintlocks since they can fire more bullets and can reload faster in seconds."

"And they are also more accurate." Shishak added.

. . .

. . .

"**Then why the hell do you guys even need me** _**FOR**_!?"

_Clank! Clank! Clank! _

The noise of steel pieces clattered loudly with each step as everyone now turned their attention toward a fully armored man casually walking out of the doorway, carrying his gear in hand, and around the counter towards the group.

"Hey dudes! Check out my new duds!" The Farmer announced his presence by doing a silly tap dance, causing the metal plates to bang against each other rather obnoxiously. "This thing feels pretty light for a full suit of armor!"

"Well look what we have here, my knight in shining armor!" The sword was almost ecstatic at the sight of him while shaking up and down in glee. "Please tell me you know how to use a sword!"

. . .

. . .

. . .

The stalker remained still and stared at Derflinger for some minutes, before pointing at the barrel filled weapons in a very dull tone, "Either I'm still high right now, or that rusty sword just talked to me."

. . .

"Probably both."

* * *

"So, what do we do with him now?" Spartacus flicks his head at the trembling bandit lying on the metal floor with both of his hands and feet bounded together by rope. "This idiot doesn't know anything else other than his missing boss's intention to rob Pavlo inside the ship and the fact that a damn mercenary was there as well. How a merc managed to get inside undetected is beyond me."

"Hmm…" The bartender strokes his chin and stared at Dwarf with serious intent as he tried to think of something to explain the mysterious disappearances. "Owl did say he heard a lot of screaming and crying after the heavy thudding stopped. Of course, him not bothering to tell us right away until we asked is another story. At least we didn't have to pay for the information."

The head of security tilted his head with anxious concern, "You think he's working an angle? A lot of us know he favors Sultan's side more than the stalkers ourselves, so it would make sense if he was told to look the other way."

"Sultan's grip on Zaton has already weakened to the point where he left this rusted icebreaker last night to whatever he intends to go. Secretively, like the snake that he is. What more can he get out of stealing someone's entire collection of artifacts when he has other unsavory trades to gain wealth from?"

"That is true. Petty theft for a kingpin doesn't really suit his style even when he's known to shit where he eats at. Plus, a few of the bandits said that this Shishak is independent and only operates in Yanov." The veteran loner glances at the hogtied bandit. "So do you think that equipment dealer has something to do with the mercenary?"

Beard gave a light shrug and turn to him, "Could be possible. Though, I find it hard to imagine that Owl would allow himself to stoop even lower given his connections with our unsavory opposites. Still, he has always been our main supplier for so long. It wouldn't make any sense for him to risk his position here by hiring someone to steal where he operates."

"Okay, so both of those ideas are out. What other speculation is there beside Owl's statement that he was minding his own business during happy hour?"

. . .

. . .

"Perhaps someone else hired the merc to go after Shishak or Pavlo under a contract. Given both of their reputation, no one will miss a random bandit gang leader and there are people who might hold grudges against Farmer."

A sharp 'tsk' came from the head security as he shakes his head, "I may never understand why an expert like him never bothers to use a codename to protect himself. Does he have some kind of death wish?"

"Who knows?" Beard made a small grin. "It could be his real name, or it is not. There are many names from stalkers that may sound vague in between both. He likes to be confusing around others."

"I figured as much." Spartacus shook his head again.

"Although," the stout man continued, slight confusion now etched on his face, "it doesn't explain some of the missing furniture. The leftover equipment from our ex-medic is gone, and the personal storage box that belongs to Farmer with it. All of the books are not in their shelves and there is not a single piece of paper anywhere. It is almost as if every trace of his presence had disappeared overnight."

Spartacus made a pondering frown, "That _is_ very strange, now that you have mention it. Maybe someone took his things when he disappeared?"

"Again, we may never know what happened in this mysterious ordeal."

"I still think Owl is guilty of something."

"The only thing he should be guilty of is his lack of loyalty toward his fellow stalkers." Beard gave a small sigh. "As much as the both of us enjoy earning profit, his way is much too shadier than how I do an earnest living."

"Don't forget that our own boys are known to turn on each other as well over immense wealth." The security expert pointed out.

"Yes, of course!" A bitter chuckle arose through his lips, switching his attention back to Dwarf. "Greed goes both ways for everyone, me included. Who am I to judge those who profit themselves when I am doing the same from them?"

Spartacus laughed along with him, "I think that goes one way, my friend."

"Eh, whichever meaning works. Now, as for our guest of honor…" The bartender grinned wickedly with arms crossed. "…I think a small stay in the freezer should loosen his tongue more, just to be sure."

"Sometimes, even you scare me more than those mutants, Beard."

"Oh! That reminds me. We're out of beef and pork stock, so Flesh and Boar meat is back on the menu."

* * *

"Ergh…"

"Hey Louise!"

". . ."

"Hey, Louise!"

". . ."

"Hey LOUISE!"

"Urgh! WHAT!?" Louise screamed at the annoying man riding from behind with the mercenary, causing a few of the passing travelers to glance at her weirdly.

"Hi." I flashed a goofy grin at her flushed irate face and waved a hand, not that she can see my face behind the metal visor.

_Clankity clank!_

"Why must you always pester me so _endlessly?!_" She snaps angrily at me. "Don't you have anything better to do!?"

"Okay, so you don't want my real apology this time?"

"**I don't care about your-** what did you say?" Hearing this, the girl managed to calm herself down fast but still held a mild suspicion in her voice. "A 'real' apology from you?"

"Well, yeah. I'm just trying to mend bridges between us since we're going to be with you for a long time. No need to hold grudges, right?" I asked.

"Hmph." Louise held her frown. "You're more suited to burning them with that blasphemous tongue of yours."

"He can breathe fire out of his mouth?" Peeking out from the sheath on Saito's back, Derflinger jingled his 'mouth' to ask her. "He doesn't look like a dragon to me."

"That's not what I meant."

"He knows the Black Speech?" Shishak piped up his question.

"The black what?"

"The Black Speech."

"Gee, do I look like I'm from Mordor, bartender?" I called over to him.

"Mordor?" The pinkette asked again, bemused by these unfamiliar words that is Tolkien.

"Just something from a novel series you wouldn't know of anyway. Anyway, look, I'm really sorry for treating you badly in front of everyone and that I should have been more considerate with you than what happened back then. I don't expect you to accept it wholeheartedly, but I know what I said to you was wrong and I should have been better than that. So, are we cool now?"

Louise's frown did not subsided, but after a moment of staring to see if I was really being sincere this time, her tone became less tense. "We will see about that when you decide to behave yourself and not make a mockery out of me."

"Only if you stop trying to change me."

Without saying anything else, the mage turned her sights back to the road as I shifted the backpack's straps on for the umpteenth time to prevent it from slipping off. "Looks like this armor might need some minor modifications. My pack straps keep falling off the shoulders."

"Then why don't you tighten the straps on instead of letting them hang loosely?" Saito suggested.

Oh.

"Or I could do that instead. Thanks buddy." After tugging on the straps more tightly to the point where it was thoroughly wrapped around the shoulder plates, wiggled my body slightly to see if the method works. As it turns out, Saito was right with his suggestion.

Man, this armor feels kind of stuffy. I probably need to wear this suit more often just to get used to it. Medieval plated armor, just like any other modern bullet resistant protection with trauma plates, is going to feel heavy for first time users. For me, I'm used to wearing loads of equipment on my previous Sunrise suit but it lacked serious protection against most anomalies and rifle rounds. Furthermore, why I even bother to get this piece of antique (besides smoking weed in it) is so I can use it as a poor man's alternative since there is no possible way to repair modern Kevlar suits in this place. With magic, yes, but I don't think that the mages will provide service cheaply for the normal folks.

Although, I do admit to myself, a Kevlar and steel plate combination would provide better protection against the still developing firearms and old-fashioned arrows. It's too bad there is no existing method to replicate the same protection of Kevlar through the manufacturing of plastics.

Yet.

"Hey merc, you ever thought about wearing different protection?" My hand clapped his shoulder lightly. "It would make sense to save that suit of yours since there might be no way to properly repair it. I think that trade I did saved me some hassle."

"The thought did come to mind," Cutler answered rather stiffly, shrugging my grip off as it made contact, "but I would rather wear what I have for the time being. Protection and agility is something worth having for close quarter combat."

Okay, so you're not a touchy feely person but you like to get in close and personal. Doesn't make any sense to me, but duly noted.

"How about you, Saito? You thinking about having a change of fashion? Blue and black clothes is stylish, but it's not going to stop a bullet or sharp pointy things." I called over.

Saito gave a brief shrug, "I'm better off with light clothing. The armor here might be too heavy for me."

Hmm… yeah, I don't think bulky armor would suit him well. A young man like him needs to be agile and quick on his feet. Still, I rather he should wear something to protect the major part of his body. I think I might have some spare Kevlar fabric rolls and a sewing kit inside the steel box so if I have the time, I can tacticool his sweater jacket until it is considered badass standard.

Nah, not really. I'm just going to sew the Kevlar inside for a more inconspicuous look, simple as that. I may not be the best technician for guns, but I do myself good for having bitchin' seamstress skills.

Sewing wounds not included.

"I can fix that. Just give me your jacket and pants."

"Uh, why?" He looked at me as if I was becoming more unhinged than usual.

Whoops, wrong use of words. I should have added more details.

"So I can sew Kevlar on them, duh?" I replied back.

The boy's face loosened up a little as he managed a small laugh on his part, "Oh, hahaha… I thought you were still joking around with that pedo talk."

"_What makes you think I don't enjoy the sight of a young man's body?_" Cue the creepy voice and mouth licking slurps.

"Dude, **not cool.**" His deadpan tone prompted me to have a bigger laugh at him from my jab.

"Hahahahahahahaha! You know you like it!"

"Will you two shut up already?! This entire racket is giving me a headache!" And of course, Louise had to ruin the fun as always. Why can't she ever lighten up like that redhead she never likes? Even though Kirche did try to get in my pants… forcibly, she isn't that bad to hang around with after our 'close' encounter. Maybe she might be fit for the Zone for her enthusiasm. Then again, she is a bit too hot blooded once her 'romantic drive' starts to kick in to those unfortunate enough to be good looking. Add the constant exposure of her cleavage peeking out and she'll be painted as an important target for future rapes.

As in, she'll be doing the dirty deed.

Seriously, when she looked at me last night with that blaze in her eyes, I thought she was going to eat me. Well, at least I got her off my back for now. I don't know if she'll try again soon, but I hope it doesn't happen. Really.

"Yes, _mooooommmmm_." The word hung out dully in the air to show my displeasure.

"Grow up! You're not a child anymore, familiar!" She retorted, gripping the horse's rein tightly.

"That doesn't mean you have to be a control freak!" I snapped back in annoyance. "I can hang around with anyone I want!"

"Anyone, but that Germanian hussy!" Came her warning.

Wow, and here I thought apologizing to her just minutes ago would at least have Louise give me some leeway.

"Oh please, that feud was a long time ago! Hell, it doesn't even look like she gives a shit about it! Move on already."

"I will never forget what vile deed her family had done to mine 200 years ago! From the war to even now, a Zerbst like her will always keep slandering my good name!" Louise seethed at the memory of whatever past conflicts she has been told and faced.

I just shook my head at her need to cling on to the past and decided to end the conversation here before she starts up on another rant about her _oh-so-tragic_ family members being seduced away by the big **bad** Zerbst clan.

"Well, whatever. The past is the past. It's unhealthy to stay angry at some pointless dispute, you know?"

"You're one to talk! Didn't you mention about hating your own military?" The pinkette flared.

My shoulders gave a small rise, "That's because everyone else hates them. They are complete dicks to all stalkers who like to shoot at us and steal our payday. Granted, what we're doing is kind of illegal but it still doesn't justify their reason for killing everyone they see."

Derf interjected between our spat with a loud chuckle, "I can assume their superiors are also glory hounds that take all the credit, am I right?"

"See? He understands what I mean! The higher ups running those jarheads are also the ones behind the corruption! Well, behind the government officials doing the corruption."

"Again, you use such terms that I know nothing about!" Geez, Louise. Calm the fuck down.

"Will you relax already? God, do I really have to spend the rest of my life with you?" The horses must be thinking badly of us, judging from their constant snorts and teeth clicking. One wonders if they are saying 'shut up, please!' or something like that.

As we continued to bicker at each other, the sight of the large academy grew closer. Everyone else ignored us except for the sword, who happens to be enjoying the show. His means of egging us on fell on deaf ears, but that didn't stop me from coming up with better insults.

Okay, more like stupid ones; either way it's more verbal ammunition for me to fire back. But realistically, I'm really starting to get tired of having to keep arguing with her for all the little things she tend to get upset about. I'm starting to think she's going back to old habits again, but maybe it is probably just a negative quirk in her personality.

"Wait, why am I even arguing with you in the first place?" The first thought that came to mind was said aloud to her. "All day long, I've wasted my time doing nothing but whine about not having my personal smoke hours and hearing you complain about your social problems of not fitting in when I should be doing something more productive."

"Like screaming loudly every night or trying to fornicate with that filthy tramp?" The emanating rage in Louse's tone grew more noticeable every time she mentions about the redhead that tried to molest me.

"No, more like figuring out what to do with my free time while the sun is out. I haven't had a good walk in a while, so I should do that instead of staying stuck in one place and deal with your moody tantrums."

Saito's voice cut in just in the nick of time before the short-fused pink pint could shout more useless things at me, "But what about sewing the Kevlar onto my clothes, Farmer?"

"Eh… later, when I feel more relax doing something. Okay?"

"Cool." He nodded toward my response.

"Besides, I can't concentrate better without a quiet walk." A yawn escaped from my wide opened mouth as I stretch my arms up in the air, smacking my mouth again.

Fortunately, the pink midget decided to keep her mouth shut rather than try to make an excuse to keep me from wandering off upon the destination. Must be having second thoughts in continuing the spat if a person like me is not really in the mood to give a shit.

. . .

. . .

We had finally arrived at the stables, sun still up in the late afternoon, and all of us dismounted from the borrowed horses with mixed expressions. One that was of disappointment from Louise after our little shouting contest, two filled with relief that Saito and I shared now that we were free of the horses, and three that stayed indifferent for the entire trip such as the talking sword going back to sleep, the bandit staring at his PDA on the way back, and the merc... well, he hasn't changed much beside his still growing intolerance toward mages and becoming more talkative, oddly enough…

On a serious note, I am close to enacting my plans on producing guns by heading back to the city tomorrow later once pinky is busy with something to scope out a good smithy and hopefully find another person who can figure out how to make smokeless powder for the bullets. An alchemist, that's what Kirche said to me last night. Once I get the merc to work with me on the production of centerfire cartridges, assuming he even knows how to make them at all, the last step for Stage 1 is to find a base of operation.

And knowing that I'll be outside for the time being now would be a good time for me to scout around the lands far away from the magic academy. After that is done, setting up the base should be a cinch. I just have to find the right spot that is easy to overlook and decide whether a large hill next to a forest or a huge mountain would make a great camouflage.

Hehe, I always wanted a secret hideout when I was young. It makes me feel like an evil mastermind, minus the exaggerating laugh and the need to invent things that shoot frickin' laser beams.

Or… or, better example: Growing weed. I don't know if they have drug laws here, but it would be funny as hell to break them just because I like to see people's reaction and how well I can get away with it.

_Bump! Clank!_

"Hahahahaha…"

_Bump! Clank!_

"Ahaha…"

_Bump! Clank! _

. . .

_Bump! Clank! _

"Excuse, umm… Sir Knight? Are you lost?"

"Hehehehehehehehehehehe…"

_Bump! Clank!_

"Sir Knight? May I ask what you are doing here?" I felt some foreign reverberating from my armor and realized there is a wall in front of me when I begin to stir awake from my daydreaming.

"Wha'?" Shaking my head twice, the incessant tapping from the left allowed me to figure out who is trying to get my attention.

"Are you feeling ill from something, milord?" Siesta asked me once more, not knowing who she was talking to until I noticed that her eyes were focusing on the Kevlar vest worn over the steel plated cuirass. While she was in the middle of putting one-and-two together, I gave a friendly wave at her direction.

I felt awkward.

"Oh, hey Siesta. I didn't see you there." A quick look around the area netted my notice that I just so happened to be on the currently empty courtyard where the gang and I kicked a certain someone's ass in overdrive. How I ended up wandering here without consciously seeing where I was going and without anyone else stopping me is a small mystery. Am I sleepwalking in the day time?

Her head perked up almost immediately at the sound of my voice and she smiled brightly at the response, "Ah! Farmer! I did not realize that you are the one wearing that knight armor."

"Hah, yeah, it's a funny story. Hey, wanna go on a walk with me? I'm bored, my short pint of a master is getting pissy at me for all the small things I do, and it looks like you might need a small break. Interested?"

"I'm sorry, Farmer, I am afraid it would not be possible for me to take even a moment of rest while the day is still active. Even though today is Void Day and work is bound to be slow, I'm sure the Nobles will require our service nonetheless." The maid bowed her head in apology, letting out a soft sigh.

Of course, knowing how insistent I can be sometime, this wasn't really going to dissuade me from trying again.

"It's not like they're going to notice or care that a specific person is missing while shouting out their demands for tea and crumpets. You've served them for a long period of time, so why would they bother paying attention to the people taking care of their chores?"

She understood where I was going at, but seemed to be hesitant at that moment, "While what you say is closer to the truth, I don't want to jeopardize my job by taking unscheduled breaks and risk having the nobles or other servants take notice. This might be the only work that provides a high pay so that I can send the money to my family."

Oh, well that's understandable. Family is always important and I don't want to come off as a douchebag by getting her fired for slacking off. It's not like my type of work (provided, the only way to get fired from it is by a bullet landing on the important part of your body), so I usually have a lot of time to do my other things than hunt for artifacts. I can't say I've ever bothered to think about my family, though.

"I do appreciate your kind gesture, nonetheless." Siesta gave me a friendly pat on the shoulder during my silent musing before she excused herself to do her job. "It would be best if we spend our time together when the night closes in."

"Uh-huh…" I managed a jerky nod and a small grunt of acknowledgement as I watch her walk away at a short distance.

So… I guess I'll be exploring alone… by myself… having no one to chat with… as usual…

Even though that was supposed to be the whole point of my plan right now, but it looks like getting friendly with a woman sounded more important.

But can I really be blamed for wanting to be close with the first female who is actually being nice to me without any sinister objectives?

. . .

. . .

"I can teach you how to defend yourself! It will keep you and the others around safe if something were to happen while you're on the job!" My sudden call made Siesta stop in her tracks while she turns her back around to look at me with puzzlement.

Way to go, Farmer. You've reached a new low of quelling loneliness through desperation. That is just fucking sad, even for someone who likes to be alone.

Why am I even doing this?

"How so?" She answered back, head cocked to the side.

"Well, that depends. Do you like guns?"

. . .

"I… honestly don't know."

Yeah, that's great; spend your time together by teaching her how to shoot someone just like how you would train the rookies. What could possibly go wrong? Guilt? Horror? Not wanting to have anything to do with me anymore? That would go _soooo_ _well_ with our recently established friendship.

On the other hand, it will give her a better chance of survival. If she feels guilty taking someone's life, I might reconcile that by telling her that the person she have just shot had it coming and you were only protecting yourself from harm.

Okay, maybe the former sounded too strong. Jesus, I never thought I would feel guilty doing this out of the blue. Unlike the women back in the Zone where they have no problem shooting back at assholes, Siesta doesn't seem to be the type of person who is ready to be an asskicker without suffering from the negative perks. I'm not saying she's too soft just because she's never been through a harsh environment if push comes to shove, but… when that time comes, similarly to how Saito will be facing in the near future, she might not take it so well that easily.

I mean, when I entered the Zone on my first day, I was sort of hyped up for the action, but that didn't prevent me from freaking out once in a while after killing another human being. There were some heavy drinking, fist fights, and the occasional thoughts of leaving forever and never returning back to that slice of what I thought to be hell at first, but I have to make my living somehow!

. . .

. . .

Yeah.

. . .

. . .

. . .

God, I fucking hate it when that bandit scum keeps berating me for not putting much thought in my decisions. How is he still normal than the rest of us? What is his secret?

And why is it that he's **absolutely** right all the time!? Why can't things be simpler like the Zone? You go out, you search around, you find good shit, you kill people who is after your good shit, and then you comeback safely. Yada yada yada, rinse and repeat.

Basically, what I'm saying is that I have no one to blame but myself if I ended up breaking her in the process. I would definitely feel like shit if that happened.

"So where are we going?" The maid was waving a hand in front of the helmet. "Farmer?"

"Huh?" I blinked my eyes twice at the fluttering shadows.

"I asked you where we will go to teach me."

"Oh, that. Right, uh…" My head swivel around to find the exit out of the school grounds. "…how about somewhere more remote, like the woods? I did promise the old man that I wouldn't go shooting up the academy again. Plus, we'll have more privacy that way."

"Hm." A nod of confirmation was all I needed to have her along for the ride of her life.

She's actually willing to shoot guns with me? I was expecting her to say 'no' and be done with it, but I never thought a humble girl like her would want to pick up a shooter. Life is getting much too strange for me despite standing on sane ground.

Before I even lifted my foot up to leave, Siesta stopped me right away with something else on her mind, "But first, there is something I need you to do for me."

Now she is bargaining with me? I wasn't expecting her to lay out a catch for free training offered to her as well.

"And what would that be?"

She made a cheeky grin at my apparent confusion, "I want you to do laundry with me."

. . .

Uhh… huh…

"Sure. Okay, laundry for gun training. Let's go with that."

* * *

"Bastards! I hate them!" A boot kicked at a small twig, sending it broken and scattered in every direction. "Sending us in to fill every gap in the Zone, I knew I made the right choice to desert! Any minutes sooner and I could have been bloodsucker food or end up being blamed for nothing!"

Another kick launched a small rock that then bounced off from a tree causing the birds to fly off from their branches. "If only the commander didn't leave the car at the front of the base, otherwise I would have had an easier time escaping that accursed land! But no, we had to go down the hole just to secure some documents that have probably been ruined after a long time. Now my friends are dead and I'm stuck on… on… on whatever THIS place is!"

More angry shouting arose from the lone army grunt. Tired, hungry, and with only a small pistol he managed to snatch before the tentacle faced nightmare could catch up with him, the man continued his trek through the dimmed forest and kept his eyes forward while letting out his rant.

"Oh and how could I forget about the hit placed on me afterwards? Well, let them come find me now! Those stupid sons of bitches can rot in their trove land for all I care!"

The sun was still out above clear skies but the soldier paid no mind to his surrounding, only lashing out in his miserable state to anything he saw. The hopelessness and death was all he could think of as he held the Fora-12 tightly in his right hand.

He then raises the gun at his chest level and eyed it anxiously, "Only two magazines left… 12 bullets in each of them. Maybe I should… no… no, not like that."

A slow shook from his head confirmed that he wasn't quite prepared to bite the dust just yet, "Got to go home… Want to go home! But how?! I don't even know where I am!" Stopping himself from going any further to rest his aching feet, the private gingerly plopped himself against a large tree and fishes out an opened plastic bag from the front pockets of his pants for another snack break.

"I would kill for a bowl of hot borsch and a side of steamed potato varenyky than eat this crap every day, but at least I know how to survive outside like these asshole stalkers." The man grumbled to himself and popped another stale biscuit in his mouth as he looked around carefully. "Because the last time I remembered, there was supposed to be a swamp nearby. A dead swamp, too, since all the trees were gone.

As the wind picked up in a small gust blowing against the tree branches, a long sigh full of resentment told him that he wasn't out of trouble just yet.

"Join the army, they said. Chicks love military men, they said. Fuck me, why did I listen to those drunks in the first place!? I would've been better off getting out of the country to America!"

The man took off his grime covered bandanna revealing a shaved buzz cut dome. Droplets of sweat trickled down his face as he took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down.

"I don't even have enough to buy myself a ticket! I had to kiss every high ranking officer's ass and do their dirty work just to get a decent pay from their black marketing! _Do this, Private Constantine! Shoot that, Private Constantine! The jeep is now commandeered under my orders, Private Roman Constantine!_ That son of a bitch is lucky I did not consider the thought of putting a bullet behind his head in front of everyone."

Roman let out a bitter laugh as he threw the empty bag away elsewhere, "At least no one made any bowling jokes around me. I hate bowling. Ping pong is a better sport."

. . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

The ex-soldier reached into his left pant pocket to pull out a semi-transparent, rocklike artifact that easily fits in his hand and decided to admire its alien beauty to pass the time until he is fully rested.

"Heh, I didn't even know one of the Spetsnaz was loaded when I looted his body for a gun. Who would have thought an unlucky soul like me manage to score a Mica from his pocket!"

Another bark of dried laughter erupted from him as he begins to croon a small private tune to himself, rolling the artifact around while doing so. His grip on the pistol slacked while he moves his weary gaze back to the surrounding forests like a prisoner inside a jail cell.

. . .

. . .

. . .

"I wish I have a guitar with me." He sighed once more and continued to hum quietly.

* * *

_Swish! Splash! _

_Drip drip drip! _

"So, washing clothes. For these spoiled brats. Every day. That doesn't bother you the slightest?" I hung another set of uniforms with a brown cape on the clothesline and started on the fifth.

"It is easier to be humble and just bear with it, Farmer." Siesta smiled at me. "Patience always pays off in the end."

I snorted at the idealistic comment and begin to scrub a pair of pants, "Humbleness almost got you fired. Patience nearly gotten you slapped for no reason. I still don't understand why you and the rest of the staff have to put up with their shit all the time. Can't you just tell the headmaster about this?"

She shook her head gently with a sad smile, "That will not accomplish anything other than giving the students a reason to be rid of us. We as commoners are sworn to serve the Nobles out of loyalty no matter the treatment."

Right, they can't even complain about it or else it's off to the streets for them. Life without trade union must have sucked hard here.

"Well, I think it is fucking horseshit. Regular people shouldn't be treated like dirt if the high class has magic. That's like saying I can tell everyone what to do because I HAVE a gun."

A pat on the holster was all I needed to prove my point.

"Oh, and by the way, don't tell anyone about the gun lessons you're getting from me. Like you said, it will just give those bastards a reason to get rid of you and I don't want to deal with the traveling bartender's nagging. Also, Saito is coming along after we stop by Louise's room."

"Of course."

_Splash! Scrib scrib scrib!_

_Drip!_

_Swish!_

. . .

. . .

. . .

"Why aren't you offended?"

"I beg your pardon?" Siesta turns to me with a mildly confused look on her face.

My eyes were still focused on some tighty whities, "I mean, how come you're taking this so casually from me? You know I say weird stuff out of the blue, put swears in my sentences, and act like a mental moron all the time, but you treat me like we're the bestest friends in the whole wide world. A normal person would be staying the hell away from me."

"Because you are my friend and I trust you." She replied, sounding cordial.

. . .

"Why?" I asked bluntly, still staring at the underwear.

"Why not? You and Saito have been very helpful and kind to me throughout the past few days. I have never felt so happy in my life after meeting all of you." Such an innocent inquiry caused me to turn my head to see her grinning at me again.

Just because someone is nice doesn't mean they have the purest intention on their mind.

"I'm not used to having people trust me so easily." I answered back with a shrug.

She tilted her head slightly in question, "You assume that other people can't trust you?"

"I expect them to be cautious around me, just as I would do the same. It's a part of my life that I recognize more often."

"Oh."

. . .

. . .

"Do you trust me, Farmer?"

With my life, since you have been kind to us without ever asking for anything in return.

With a deep breath, I gave a nod of affirmative at the young maid's direction, "I trust you and Saito, if that's what you mean. You've been… very nice… and I am grateful that you cared about our wellbeing. Not a lot of people would've done the same thing like you did… yeah."

With a wet hand placed on my shoulder, Siesta beamed at me with full appraisal and said, "That is what true friends are for. We trust each other no matter what."

That's not how friendship works anymore over on my side, but I didn't want to ruin the moment by telling her this. She doesn't need to know that sometimes the people you call 'friends' can be the ones that stab you in the back and leave you for dead in an anomaly field.

May Magpie rot in hell for his chronic betrayal.

But unlike my unpleasant experience, the way she told me right off the batch that she, of all people who should know better, who considered me a trusted friend felt mind boggling, unrealistic, insane…

…and oddly comforting to hear her say that.

"I… uhh… shit... well, I… don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything to show how much you appreciate my gesture." She giggled.

"Haha… right." Onward to the white button up blouse.

_Splash! Swish!_

_Scrib scrib scrib scrib!_

. . .

. . .

. . .

"You're the greatest friend a person like me could ever have, Siesta."

A hue of rosy red brightens her cheeks after hearing this, "I know."

"I mean it."

"Of course."

. . .

More warm fuzzy feelings inside of me. To think that I would be so desperate for someone who isn't trying or plotting to kill me should be somewhat of a relief to myself. Then again, when was the last time I've ever met a chick who didn't try to pull the covers over my eyes with fake manners? Most women these days treat affection as a tool to get what they want from you. Not all of them are like that, but it's hard to tell who is genuine and who is the bitch wearing the wool.

What is the matter with me? I can't go anymore softer than this. I mean, I do see her as a good friend, but will I ever live with myself if something happened between us? Can I trust her at all? Is she too good for me? Should I even care about this?

What do I do if this goes into the next level?

Why am I worried about all this now that I'm out of the Zone? I'm starting to think more… unnecessary things; stuff that shouldn't concern me when it comes to survival.

I should say something to her…

. . .

. . .

"So, do you want to use a pistol or a rifle?"

* * *

Colbert felt invigorated for another stay in his lab, a brimming smile stayed on his face at the thought of tinkering with his new contraption once more. Others may find him odd for being excited over an uninteresting machine, but unlike them he found exploring other alternatives to be quite the exercise. The shortage of Windstones has forced the neighboring kingdoms to find new sources of it to mine in more dangerous locations; the more prominent areas being the Sahara occupied by the Elves. This idea, of course, was dissuaded right away because of the great hostilities between humanity and the elves and would only prompt retaliation from the firstborns.

With this crude combustive device, he will find a way to implement it into the use of far-distance traveling as soon as he figure out how to improve its design for greater capabilities. Windstones will be a thing of the past once his innovation reaches a new light. Provided, the Academic Institute of Magical Research would be even interested in what they see as "A waste of time and funding" to begin with.

Arriving at the door of the outside storage room acting as his main laboratory, Colbert inserted the key inside the lock and turn it with a small 'click!', to which he stroll in closing the door behind him.

"Now where did I leave it at? Oh, yes, of course! Heh, silly me, it's always at the same cor-"

To say that he was taken by surprise would be an overstatement in his reaction when he turned his head to see an inexpressive face returning his stare back at him.

"Mr. Cutler. I wasn't expecting any visitors today. Have you made yourself comfortable here?" The professor made a small grin at the stoic mercenary's observation over the machined device.

"You left a spare key underneath the stone." He mentioned as if stating the obvious.

An amused chuckle arose from Jean as he nodded, "It certainly was not challenging enough for you, seeing that you have already found your way in. Don't worry; I'm not angry at you. I've seen you pop in and out of your preferred isolated spots during your wandering. The library seems to be your favorite place, despite it being locked up every night."

Cutler said nothing and just stares at Colbert's invention with scrutinizing eyes, going so far as to walk around the object slowly in question. ". . ."

"Fancy yourself a builder of the works, Mr. Cutler?"

"Of the sort." Cutler did not bother to look up while answering him.

"I see." He gestures at his combustive device with the bellow and piston. "What do you make of this?"

"What does it do?"

"It uses vaporized oil underneath the piston from the bellows, causing another object to move in the opposite direction after the oil is ignited with fire magic." Colbert explains.

. . .

. . .

"It is an engine."

"En-jin?" He has never heard of that word before.

"It is a combustive machine that uses a various set of pistons that run simultaneously in opposite patterns through each cycles. That is all I know." The professional soldier went back to eyeballing the device. "A very crude engine that needs to be redesigned, but you are heading toward the right direction."

"Why, thank you." Colbert beamed proudly. "I appreciate your feedback. Now, is there something I can do for you?"

. . .

"There is." Out of the front top pouch of his cloth armor, two pointed metallic objects are held in his hand. One of them was long with a narrow long neck wrapped around a copper head with a greenish coating on its body. The other was shorter and wider, showing pure brass on it with the same copper head attached on the neck.

"These are centerfire cartridge bullets," He walks up to a study table next to the absent-minded researcher and place them on the table, "they are made to be fired as a high-velocity projectile, much similar to this world's black powder and musket ball. In comparison, the centerfire is more superior for its speed and penetration."

Colbert picks up one of the bullets, the brass one, and examines it carefully, "And you want me to research them in order to understand how they are manufactured."

The mercenary nodded, "I need you to understand the gunpowder inside the different cartridges, the chemicals inside the primer at the bottom of the casing, and the elements of the metals that makes up the bullet. Once that is done, I will handle the method of production with this knowledge. You will be compensated by the large amounts after I have earned the pay from my preferred work."

"There is no need for your generous offering," Jean studied the man's face and gave him a small smile, "the challenge itself is rewarding enough. Though I am curious to ask of your intentions to what you are going to do with it, aside from the basic needs of replenishing your weapons."

". . ."

"Surely, you have no dubious notion for your activities? I've heard from the students that you have spoken out your distaste for the nobility system in the open after your group's conflict with Guiche de Gramont. I can assure that whatever you have planned to do in the future will be safe with me, but I want to know if you intend to involve Tristain personally to prove a point. If so, then I refuse to allow you to endanger my country whatsoever."

"It is not for Tristain, nor am I interested in enacting some harebrained scheme to satisfy my ego by creating conflict in your birth country." Cutler stated without hesitation.

"I am relieved to hear that."

"It's for Albion." The man stood back with hands crossed behind his back, lacking any smugness in his posture.

. . .

"For Albion?" Professor Colbert asked with widened eyes.

"Yes."

. . .

. . .

"There is a civil war currently going on inside that kingdom and you plan to provide this new means of destruction in belief that it would make a difference?"

"I intend to make change by making my own side, Professor Colbert. To include another alternative to quell the infighting and promote peace, such as the idea that you believe in, do you not?"

A tingle of shivers ran down Colbert's spine as he place the bullet back on the table, "Where have you heard of this?"

"From the headmaster himself, for he loves to make small talk to avoid doing paperwork." No emotions sprang from the stony faced soldier as he switches his attention back to the combustive invention.

"What else did he tell you?" The professor grew tenser inside, but revealed none in his blank expression.

"That you used to be a warrior like the rest of us." Cutler noted. "That you held a title of your own in an elite squad of mages. 'The Flame Serpent' they would call you. An interesting nickname for someone who can wield flames hot enough to melt steel, but then decided to retire with a beaker and pestle in hand in his mid-age."

". . ." Colbert stared at his back, saying nothing in return.

"I can recognize guilt when I see it, Jean Colbert. What you are doing is merely a distraction by allowing your mind to wander off toward bettering a nation instead of fighting for it."

. . .

. . .

"I can say the opposite about you, Mr. Cutler, but atoning for your sins by fueling the fire is not going to make them go away. Please, we can talk about this. I can help you make your peace with your past. What you sought for is madness."

"What I am doing is to find my purpose and push the people in the right direction." He took no notice of his plead and continue to examine the device nonchalantly. "I know I am sick, but I refuse to be treated by getting rid of the very thing that keeps me alive."

"By washing away old blood with more blood to change the world for the _better?_" Colbert exclaimed in shock.

"Not for all. The rest can fester in their filth they have created for themselves. If they learn to adapt, then that is fortunate for them."

"There are lives at stake to what you are about to do! These are people, Cutler! They are not meant to be toyed with!"

"Loss of life is common. Such is the meaning of conflict."

"But we can avoid it by choosing a different path!" He pointed out.

"There will always be conflict no matter what path we choose."

Colbert shook his head heavily in disagreement, "Then I want no part of this. I will not help you bathe Albion in blood for your personal revolution."

"So you intend to do nothing while Reconquista runs amok with their lies of equality and freedom so they can add more brainwashed soldiers to their false cause. What of Albion's king then if the loyalist won in the end, will the people continue to prosper under his reign?"

"What do you think will happen if one of them won the war? Do you really expect the nobles to care about their people more than the power they hold?" Cutler's voice grew hard, but his cold expression did not change when he turn to face the fire mage again.

"If that is what you think of them, then I can only say that kind of bigoted mindset will get you no further." Jean turned away from the sellsword. "Are you even sure you're fighting for the right cause? With what little you have seen here after a few days, I can't help but think that this foolhardy goal is based on an automatic assumption from your impulse."

"I could care less about the differences between commoners and mages. I want to see real equality in all of them. Get rid of the social classes. Provide better benefits for those who cannot afford it such as food, shelter, and education. Allow the decision to choose their leader. The possibility of freedom will be moot if no one fights for it!"

"You say that as if war is the only answer to everything!" Now the professor decided to confront this foolish man and end this insane rambling once and for all as he glowered sternly at him. "But you are mistaken! People can be persuaded in negotiations. Diplomatic trades can be made to ensure the peace. **War only brings the worst in all of us and-!**"

"And without war, there is no PEACE. Talk is cheap to those who do not give up power so freely." Cutler interjected harshly, glaring hard with ice in his tone. "Such idealized thinking will not allow progress to go further, not when there are those who seek to halt it to keep their hold on the population. If you do not wish to assist me, then I will find someone else who is willing to do their job without musing over the burdens of future consequences."

Just as the mercenary was about to move in and grab the bullets, Colbert quickly stepped in front of him with a hand raised. "I said I will not aid you for a war, not let your ammunition reserves go dry. You will have the materials to create your bullets, but at my own leisure when I have the time. For now, I require more samples from you."

. . .

. . .

"Fine." Cutler reluctantly agreed, his dull tone returning again. "If that is what you wish, then I will respect it. Furthermore, if you find it necessary to bring in an earth mage, make sure it is someone you can trust; do not include Longueville in our project."

"Hm? Is there something about her that I should know of?" The professor questioned.

"Let's just say she is too curious for her own good. I want to keep this a secret between the both of us for now until I have taken care of other businesses. If word gets out that a staff member of this magic academy is able to produce a means of replacing flintlock technology, then there will be uproar with either every royalty coming after you as a high priority target or the Holy Church in Romalia demanding your execution by making up an excuse labeled as acts of heresy."

Jean noticed the small bags drooping underneath the gun-for-hire's eyes as he turns to leave through the same door and called after him, "I acknowledge your views, despite how conflicting they are with mine, and hope you the best in finding your purpose. Perhaps if you look for another alternative, the answer might be to your liking in a different setting."

Only the soft click of his closing door replied back. The rest of the space became silent once more.

With a long sigh, he picked up the cartridge bullets and dropped them inside a drawer for now before going back to tinker with his prototype invention, "What a persistently sad man…"

* * *

**And there's Chapter 5! Now, please review for the sake of my long-period of chapter releases.**

**Please? College is a pain when there's homework involved. **


	7. Chapter 6: Insofar Paranoia

_**A/N: Sorry it took long, got too busy with Fallout 4 all these times. Great game with good combat mechanics, but the interactions and storyline needs more work. Still, I do dig the weapon customization and DLCS…**_

…_**and the robots…**_

…_**Anywho, back to the story!**_

* * *

Chapter 6: Insofar Paranoia

* * *

"Alright! So here are the targets you'll be shooting at, you guys." I felt more than eager to finally distract myself from all the previous tension as I put away my knife and step back to admire my work. "If that's not the finest carved targets I've ever done in my life, then the Dutyers can do it better."

"Dutyers?" Siesta and Saito asked simultaneously with heads cocked.

"Oh, just a faction of hardcore ex-military soldiers who made it their personal mission to bring order into uncivilized territories by exterminating monsters and preaching about how the Zone is going to kill everyone if it isn't stopped."

"Oh."

"I see…"

Walking back to them, I took off my backpack and squat down to search through the bag for the Makarov pistol and some mags for the training. Another blanket with two other guns was already set up, the TOZ-34 and the AKS-74u laid out as a special bonus for them.

"They're not that bad once you get past the strict discipline and their love for regulations. Duty members are actually quite pleasant and respectful to anyone as long as the person keep the peace and follow the rules." A small blanket bundle was pulled from the pack and I proceeded to unwind it on the ground. "Though, some of the things you will have to worry about from Duty are their 'enthusiastic' members who are more than willing to break orders to accomplish their mission and the less-motivated types trying to squeeze every last drops of benefit for greed. It's funny that an organization hell-bent on getting rid of an unnatural disaster has some of their own men pursuing the same threat they have vowed to destroy."

"So which group do you belong to?" The boy asked. "I saw those shoulder patches on your uniform, so I had you figured that you are in a peaceful faction."

"Kid, please. I am anything but 'peaceful'. These doves belong to a group I know nothing of. Beside, I'm not really from a faction as to more of a 'loose coalition'. Meaning, no one leads us but ourselves."

"Which means you're an independent Stalker, right?"

I nodded in confirmation, "Correct you are, as usual, bro. Still, I don't know where you learn this from when there is no Zone in your world."

"Games, dude." He pointed out. "Plus my world also has its own Chernobyl. It's more normal compared with your own version."

"Figures, you kids learn quickly from them." The blanket holding the Makarov set was then spread out next to the rifles. "But yeah, I see what you mean. Alternate worlds are serious business."

"Worlds? Stalkers?" Siesta mentioned the word with a brief pondering. "What do you mean by that, Farmer?"

. . .

"Oops."

"Looks like our cover has finally been blown by our own undoing, bro." Saito gave a casual shrug.

I pointed at him with a small headshake, "Hey, we've been doing it a lot for some times now and nobody ever bothers to notice. Look where our carelessness has put us in now."

"I know that. Still, I suppose there's no harm in telling her the truth. The Rub Al' Khali story is starting to get old. Speaking of which, how did your hand heal so fast anyway? I know it's not magical weed, so you must have taken some drugs to speed up the process while we weren't looking."

"It's a trademark secret and I suppose you're right." both of our heads turned to our flustered witness, who is trying to make sense of the situation.

"Hey Siesta, promise you'll keep this to yourself?" I asked the maid, grinning at her confusion.

"I… yes, I promise." She replied back with a smile of her own after giving up on our whimsical behavior.

Where to begin…

"Right then, long story short, if you already know this by now: Saito and the rest of us jolly men are not from this world. Where we come from, magic doesn't exist and everything is run by machines. Oh, and stalker is another name for treasure hunter. Okay, end of story. Welcome to the club."

"What club?"

I waved it off, "Just a small saying. Anyway, let's go teach you how to shoot at shit."

"Straight to the point, as always, bro." The boy gave his remark and reached for the Walther P99 from his new holster that I lent him.

"Make sure that pistol is unloaded, boy. We wouldn't want a training incident by having your gun discharge a round into my foot by accident, steel plate armor or not." I shot back with amusement and picked up the unloaded PMN and a magazine, making sure there is no bullet chambered inside the gun, before walking over to Siesta to hand them over. "Don't put the rectangle block called a 'magazine' in the pistol yet until I tell you to. Okay, both of you pay attention now and listen to me very carefully as we go through this. First, I'm going list out the basic rules that I've taught other rookies to do. No matter how dumb they might sound, they will save your time and your life under duress. You all ready for this?"

Both of them nodded with a "Yes!" in confirmation as I stood back and waited for the kid to unload his magazine and check for a live round still chambered inside before I can begin my demonstration.

"Alright then, here's rule number one: Never look down the barrel of your gun, even if it is unloaded. Always treat it as if it is still loaded until you have checked everything." With the unloaded and cleared UDP Compact in hand, I had it pointed away from them and retract the slide to show an empty chamber. "Yes, I know it's stupid of me to say it but some of the guys I've trained before aren't that bright and they treat their gun like a toy than as a dangerous tool."

"Looks like Shishak is wrong to call you a terrible instructor." Saito smirked.

"Yeah yeah, hush now! I'll rub it in his face later. Anyway, rule number two: Always have the gun barrel pointed to the ground and away from your feet, just like what I'm doing right now. Watch closely and do what I do."

Siesta and Saito mimicked my actions without any difficulty. So far, so good.

"Great job, you've passed the preliminary test by actually listening! Right then, rule number three: Make sure nothing is blocking the barrel before you put the magazine in, but make ABSOLUTELY sure there is no bullet in the chamber first! After that, you can look down the barrel. First, pull back the gun slide just like what I am doing now."

They did so right away and saw no bullet in the chamber of their firearms.

"Now, let it go. Siesta, keep your index away from the trigger and have your thumb next to the slide and below it. If the slide action is stuck, that mean you've pulled it all the way with the safety on. Pull it again and it will return to its original position."

"My apologies, Farmer."

"Oh no, don't worry! I just want to make sure you don't hurt yourself since this is your first time. Just take it slow if you need to get the feel of it at your own pace."

"Yes, right…" She smiles, readjusting her fingers into a comfortable position.

I'll need to show her how to grip a pistol properly, but for now I keep laying out the safety rules.

"Okay, now that you know the gun is fully empty, it is okay to look down the barrel to see if there is anything blocking it. Remember that you don't need to keep checking the barrel every time you use your pistol or any other firearm. Just make sure they don't get dirty and keep it away from the dirt or anything loose to prevent future clogging."

As I checked my barrel for something, my rookies in training copied along with no problems or complaints. Seems like the day is gonna go well just fine if we stick to my course without any distractions and interruptions. I figured that Saito will need it since video games don't always tell you everything on how a shooter works, while Siesta is just a greenhorn who doesn't even know what kind of gun she's holding on to right now.

If everything goes as plan today, then I will feel more confident enough to go out exploring in the city when no one is looking and stake out anyone with enough potentials and a closed mouth to join my crew. But before I can do that, I need a base first.

"Rule number four: Make sure you load the right bullets! Remember when I said most of my rookies weren't bright enough to handle a gun? This is one of the mistakes they tend to make! If you want to know the type of bullets for any firearm you might come across, look on the side of the gun for the labels that tell you the bullet it uses. Now, once you see that, you have to make sure the bullets you have are the right ones by looking at the flat end of the cartridge itself. By flat end, I mean the bottom. In order to do that, you need to take a bullet out of the magazine you are holding so use your thumb to push the flat end of the bullet out."

This step should be simple enough for them to understand. All they have to do is just match the lettering of the cartridge number. "Don't worry if you don't know what it says. Just make sure the numbers and letterings match with the label on the gun."

"Sounds easy enough." Saito removes a 9mm from its magazine and did a quick look over the cartridge.

"I see… ah!" The maid pushed the bullet out successfully, but she could not catch it in time as it landed on the ground.

"Careful now, make sure you give that bullet a good wipe before it goes back inside the magazine."

"Yes, teacher." She bowed her head at the slightest motion.

"No need to be formal, Siesta. We're all here to better ourselves. Don't think of me as one of those hardass instructors with a ruler in hand. Think of me as one of your drinking buddies who you can trust and have a good time with." I gave a small chuckle. "Besides, I need a rundown once in a while to remind myself."

"Yes, Farmer!" Siesta exclaimed with full spirits this time.

"There you go! We'll make a sharpshooter out of you just yet." And so, I continued to go through the explanation on the top of my head as my friends watch and listen to every action and word with full attention. "Okay, now that we've covered most of the basics, I will now show you how to load and cock your pistol. Please follow along."

Looks like we have a long way to go…

* * *

"So hungry!" Roman trudge past more trees and pan his head around briefly for any signs of civilization. "Where is a deer or a non-mutated boar when you need one? Shouldn't this forest have a creek too? "

A shake from his canteen as grabbed it from his belt yielded no sound, "Just great! Now I'll starve and die of thirst! I have been walking in these woods for too long, so where the hell is the nearest town? Where the hell can I find someone around here?!"

He grumbled miserably at the worst possibility that he was going to die alone in unknown territory, faced with either a slow death from the lack of substances or shoving a gun to his mouth and end the suffering; neither of which he is ready to face the outcome as the ex-military still clung to his life in hopes of rescue.

"You would think a small forest that looks too perfect would have something to eat and drink at a mere heartbeat, but I doubt it would be true after hours of walking! I guess the only upside is not dying from radiation poisoning and not getting shot at before break time."

_Grrrrrrrrbbb! _

"Crap, why does starvation have to hurt so much!?" He wrapped a hand around his aching stomach in grimace. "No, today is not my day to die! I have to make it out of these woods! At least a path that leads out of here or somewhere!"

His breath became more ragged with each step and his feet were beginning to hurt again. He was at his limit to the point of collapsing, but he ushered forward with what little he had left in him.

"Come on, just a few minutes and I'm sure to find open ground."

_Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrbbbbb! _

"Fuck! Fine, I might have something on me before my life ends here."

Roman reached around his left hip pack for anything edible to eat, "I know I have a can of Tourist's Delight somewhere…" It didn't take long for him to feel the tin metal around his hand as he took it out.

"Aha! There you are! Now it's time to ea-"

The man did not finish his sentence after seeing nothing inside the already opened army ration, cleaned out of everything.

". . ."

. . .

. . .

Roman looked at his gun then to the empty can and stared blankly at it for a few seconds, before flinging the useless metal as far away from him. It gave a few clatters as it landed on the ground while he continues to stare off at the nothingness derived of the surrounding trees and bushes. He wanted to scream, to shout, and to yell his voice out until it grew hoarse from his anguish but he could not bring himself to do it. All he felt like doing now is to stare out at the open in his stupor and not dwell too much on the fact that he was going die.

. . .

. . .

. . .

"I wonder if a shotgun can do a better job than this pistol. I don't want to go handicap if I miss."

Rustling was heard from a lush thicket, causing Roman to go tense at the noise and prepped himself with the gun in hand. "...!?"

"_Maybe it's a deer!" _

He quickly searches around for the noise and found movement at his upper right. With the pistol raised at the ready, he aimed down at the rustling brush in anticipation and licked around his dry lips at the thought of roasted meat over a fire pit.

"Come to papa, dinner…" He muttered under his breath.

_Rustle! Rustle! Crack!_

_Rustling!_

_Crack! Rustle!_

"Eh?" Roman put down his gun right away in disbelief when he was finally confronted with the sight of another person coming out of the thicket armed with an unfamiliar assault rifle in hand. "You are not food!"

The fully covered stranger in green retorted with a friendly note in his voice, although it echoed inside the helmet, "Well, I do have people mistaken me for a walking cucumber before when they are delirious! Judging from your uniform, I say you must have been from a detachment sent out to scout before things went wrong, correct?"

. . .

. . .

"Do you have food on you?"

The stranger shook his head, "Unfortunately, this suit does not have a refrigeration unit for edibles installed on the pack, so no there is none on me. On the bright side, I _am_ a qualified biologist who can show you where to find indigenous wildlife in these parts of this peculiar forest."

"You can find food?!" Roman perked up in excitement from hearing this.

"Well," The egghead looked around the area, "I can, but I need to find a track first. So far, I had no luck in spotting any signs of animal prints, droppings, grazing, or any dirt paths that says otherwise."

The ex-soldier stared at the oddly optimistic scientist with the same empty gaze he exhibit from his early breakdown and said in a dry tone, "So what you are telling me is that you have no idea where to go and is stuck in the same position that I am in."

"For the time being, I'm afraid." He acknowledged.

. . .

. . .

. . .

"We are going to die, aren't we?"

"Oh come now, we can still find a way out of here! We just need to search further."

This only made him snort at the optimism the cheerful man displayed, "For an Ecologist, you sure don't give up damn easily."

"Fret not, my boy! At least you've found someone capable enough to help you navigate through this magnificent forest." The scientist's tone was filled with encouragement as he readjust his grip on the assault rifle. "Even if it's not the Red Forest, I can't really complain about seeing normal fauna again."

The AWOL private scratched his head in question, "So, what do you work as? A lab assistant or one of those professors?"

"I am a professor with a doctorate in biology currently studying at a location called Yantar, working alongside with another gifted, if not possibly senile, associate of mine inside a laboratory." The professor explained with much enthusiasm. "I was in the middle of researching the behaviors of our mutated semi-bipedal cousins, or the Snorks as stalkers have called them, when an emission happened out of nowhere. The blowout appeared suddenly without warning in the middle of my observation, but I managed to reach a tunnel to shield me from the exposure just in time. The next thing I knew, an unknown force sucked me inside from behind and I ended up in this forest."

Despite the ever growing pangs of hunger inside of him, the conversation made the rogue soldier curious from the tale this fellow is telling, "Did you see anything green before you go here?"

The Ecologist nodded in zest, "Yes, I have seen the color right before I was transported here. It looked to be a portal of some kind. At first I thought I might have walked into a Space Anomaly and trapped myself for all eternity, but then the most extraordinary sight I have ever seen during my short-lived journey was the discovery of another dimension!"

The now excited scientist jittered with glee at the new possible revelation unknown to all and begin to gush over his serendipity when Roman stepped in to stop him before he started bouncing.

"Hey, earth to professor! We're still stuck in these godforsaken woods and I'm not getting any stronger here!" Private Constantine snapped his fingers in front of the researcher's full visor helmet to get him back on track.

"Oh, my apologies. I haven't felt this excited since the day the Brain Scorcher had finally been shut off." He cleared his throat once and chuckled lightly. "Looking at this woodland, it has come to my attention that we are not in the Exclusion Zone anymore."

"Tell me something I don't know, poindexter." Roman grumbled in annoyance.

"But," the suit-cladded man ignored the jabbed insult, "I can't really say if we are actually still on earth since the satellite phone isn't picking up any frequencies. Whether it is an interference from the surrounding trees, which is highly unlikely because there are large amounts of open space above us, or the possibility that this phenomenon took us elsewhere that is not of our world, this discovery could lead to many things beyond our understanding!"

Roman shook his head wearily, "I don't know what sort of babble you are talking about, but it's not going to fill my stomach any time soon. You said you can track, like those stalkers, right?"

"Of course, part of my job is to find and observe the natural habitat of the mutated wildlife. I wouldn't be a good biologist if I didn't know my sense of direction."

"Good, because I feel like I could eat a horse right now!" He rubbed his aching gut and groaned more at the rising pain. "We'll talk more about how we got here after we find something to fill my stomach."

"Excellent, I'm quite famished as well! Let us nourish our bodies first. Shall we?" The scientist rubbed his hands together with great anticipation, earning him a weird look from the ex-grunt.

"Right… yeah, sure. Let's go, Professor, uh…?"

"Kruglov, Professor Kruglov."

* * *

"9x18 Makarov," I held the fat bullet between my fingers, "the Russian's response to the world use of 9x19 Parabellum, or regular 9mm. A light, short, and thick round that allows the shooter to have the highest accuracy while dealing less recoil when fired out of its respective pistols with rapid succession. Compared with the 9x19, however, it is beaten by greater speed and penetration power. The only good use for this round now is for practice or self-defense."

With a sharp tsk, I placed the bullet back inside the magazine and handed it back to Siesta, "Not suited for heavily armored targets, with the possible exception of this metal suit depending on how thick the layer I'm wearing. But when it hits flesh, it does its job right."

A hand rose in the air, "Questions, Siesta?"

"What do you mean by 'penetration'?" She asked.

"It means to go through. Say, for example, you have a sword and a pickaxe. Your opponent is wearing steel-plated armor like mine, so you need to find out which weapon will pierce through the armor more easily. Swords are great for quick slashing and stabbing, but only if the person is wearing non-metal armor like leather. The pickaxe tool, on the other hand, is not a weapon but it does have a greater chance of getting past the steel with its pointed end if the swing is strong due to its heavy weight. Another thing to look at is how skinny and round the point is, which makes penetration easier when greater force is applied. So, basically, the more narrow and rounded the weapon is, the more it will pass through hard objects with enough power used. Got it now?"

"I understand, Farmer. It must be very dangerous to be a treasure hunter," the young woman nodded and pondered with concern while she loaded the Makarov shortly with little struggle, "especially when there are others armed like you."

My shoulder shrugged like it is normal as the faint telltale 'click' of the magazine was heard, "It is part of the job. The pay's worth it to me if I'm willing to put myself in danger, and there is a lot of ways to avoid or minimize the risk of it when it comes. Anyway, back to the lesson. Remember how I showed you the proper way to hold a pistol? Pointer finger off the trigger until you're ready to fire and thumb underneath the slide?"

"Yes." She nodded, determined to put her quick training to the test.

"Okay!" I gave her the thumbs up. "Don't forget to switch off the safety catch and load your gun by pulling the slide all the way back once then letting it go. Remember to get comfortable with your stance. If you don't feel good with the way you are standing, keep adjusting it until you feel it is right. You can have a foot out or stand with both feet spread out with your hips, forward and equal."

Siesta bobbed her head again and positioned herself to a side-by-side footing as she went through the procedure.

"Keep your arms extended, but not all the way, and your shoulders relaxed and slightly forward. Bend your back along with your shoulders, but not too much. Have your head straight up and eyes on the target." I continued my lecture and noticed some minor problems in her posture. "Keep your body balanced and bend your knees a little if you need to. We're going to be here for a while, so take your time."

"Should I show her how I do it?" Saito offered his help.

I flicked my head at him, "It would do her good if she sees an example. Go ahead, bro."

"Alright." The boy placed himself in a fixed stance with his arms bent at a wide obtuse angle and his legs spread out and knees bent to balance himself.

"Watch him closely, Siesta. See how he is standing with the gun held tightly in his hands? You don't want the gun to jerk around every time you fire it, so lock your wrist. Make sure you aim down your sights on top of the pistol before you push down on the trigger."

"I understand."

"Good. Now, see your target there?" I pointed at the carved depiction of a target circle in front of her. "Try to hit that bullseye in the middle as best as you can. Make every shot count and go easy on the trigger. Push down the trigger, don't pull it."

While she tries to align her sight with the bullseye, Saito and I watched on the side with keen observation. As soon as she had her target sighted, the maid took a deep breath and held it shortly before firing her first shot.

_Paf!_

The location of the bullet was off by a couple centimeters when it landed far from the bullseye, somewhere between the inner and middle ring. A look of mild surprise and uncertainty came upon her face after she pointed the pistol toward the ground and turn to me for recognition.

"Nice job, Siesta! Not bad for a first shot." My hands clanked together in the form of a short clap. "Well, don't just stand there looking at me, have fun! You still have 7 more bullets left. Just make you sure you don't shoot your feet when pointing at the ground."

A large smile brimmed on her face like a child overjoyed from my approval as she nodded quickly and went back to practicing on her shots. I turn to look a Saito, who glanced back at me with a content grin, and pointed at his target tree located in a different direction. "You too, bucko! Empty those two mags on that target. No fancy moves, unless you want to act like a cheeky little showoff."

"No promises!" The young man flicked the safety off his loaded P99 and aim down on his own target. A few seconds of lining up the shot, a single discharged round found itself in the bullseye. And then another, and another one! In rapid successions, five more bullets landed around the inner circle of the carved target.

"Holy shit, son!" I shouted out loud with great surprise. "What are you, an MLG sniper with that gun? I know video games don't teach you how to shoot like a pro, so what's your secret? Are you some kind of special agent?"

He shook his head and laughed at my mind-blowing reaction, "It just feels natural, Farmer! It's like I actually know how to use it when it's in my hands!"

Really? C'mon, that can't be right. The boy isn't even allowed to touch a real gun in his country. There has to a reason why he's able to shoot like that. Guys like me, Cutler, and Shishak know what a gun feels like and how long it took for us just to get used to the handling of pistols and rifles. To see him hit his target six times perfectly raises a lot of question for me.

To see that glowing tattoo on his left hand throws them out the window and gives me vague questions than answers. Another thing is how fast he went in the fight like he was on some kind of adrenaline rush, picking off targets without even missing a shot similar to those American action movie heroes. Either he really is an undercover badass or the brands we got has something to do with his reflexes.

Naturally, he says…

"Are you sure you're not in the army, Saito? The last I heard, private military companies don't hire teenagers!"

"Dude, it would be sick if Blackwater did that!" Six more shots from the burst fire setting caused splinters to fall off from the heavily scarred tree.

"Well, you seem to be doing just fine! Keep practicing if you like. I'm going to watch Siesta."

Siesta was already done with her first magazine and started on her second one when I turned eyes back on her. She already inserted the mag properly and racked the slide back, letting it move forward on its own before positioning her aim once again.

"You're learning pretty fast for a rookie, second best friend." I chuckled and watched from behind, taking mental notes of her preparation. "Keep this up, and you'll be shooting petals off daisies."

"My ears hurt." She pouts at me, her left hand rubbing at them. "Are they supposed to be ringing inside?"

Whoops, look like I forgot to mention how loud guns can be without hearing protection. I'll have to fix that right away.

"Here," From my pockets, I pulled out a small bag of foam ear plugs and tore the plastic open then offered two of them, "this will soften the noise for you. Just pinched them first and stick them inside your ears. Sorry for not telling you sooner, I tend to be forgetful over the small things."

"You are forgiven." The maid gave her charming smile that I can never get over with and resumed aiming as soon as the plugs were in her ears.

. . .

. . .

Instead of firing away as I expected she would do, she switched the safety lever back on and turned around to face me with a troubled look.

"Have you ever killed anyone in your travels before, Farmer?" Siesta asked with much curiosity in her voice.

Huh…? I wasn't expecting her to ask me that kind of question right now.

"Eh?"

"I just want to know what it felt like for you to take another person's life." She looked away for a while, thinking back on what she was asking about, and return to staring at me for an answer.

. . .

Oh boy, where to begin…

"Yes, I have killed people before. Not going to lie to you." A breezy sigh rushed out of my mouth. "Back then, I used to feel bad about it, with the whole justified self-defense excuse that I used to comfort myself with every time I go to sleep. It was scary at first and I thought I would be able to handle it in the beginning, but boy was I wrong when started to become more insecure with my surroundings. The feeling of guilt was powerful. It shook me to its very core and I was worried that I would get myself killed if I lose my cool at the wrong time. That is, until I got used to it."

A placid smile slowly crept onto my covered face as I leaned back slightly into my small trip to memory lane.

"Hell, my first kill toward someone wasn't even self-defense. I just wanted a better gun and this bandit who was looking the other way was holding on to my prize. I figured that 'Hey, he's just going to off some poor rookie and loot his body for valuables, so why not one less asshole to deal with?' so I shot the bastard behind his head and took his stuff."

"Uh, Farmer…"

"Sure, I got twitchy and emotional afterwards. But some more shootouts with the occasional bandits and patrolling soldiers, who also rob people, later and I felt some clarity in my head by then."

"Dude, Farmer."

"I mean, it's not the best therapy that I've ever had during my stay and I did change a lot by not caring too much for my actions, but all-in-all I have never felt so relieved to have a gun always in my hand whenever I get some shuteye for the next day." I managed a shaky laugh on my part, picturing back the poor sucker who was unfortunate to be snuck upon by me. "Bastards never see me coming, I can tell you this."

"FARMER!" Saito shouted for my attention.

"What?" I asked with mild irritation.

"Seriously, what the _hell_, man? That's not the type of story you're supposed to tell people like her!" He gestured at the maid next to him with a face that screamed 'you've done fucked up, idiot'.

My eyes fell upon Siesta's frightened stare, realizing the damage I have done just now.

"Oh..."

Good job, Farmer. She's traumatized from your absent-minded mistake because you couldn't find a better example.

Well, it's too late to go back now… I hope that doesn't mean we can't stay friends.

"Okay, maybe I should have provided a _less_ brutal example. Honestly, though, I would feel bad for my past actions if my life wasn't in constant danger all day and people weren't trying to kill other people every five minutes."

"So it's not okay when people kill each other out of greed, but it is perfectly fine to assume that the person in question is likely to do it? WOW,_ I can't argue with that!_"

"Hey! I'm not exactly the nicest person to deal with when push comes to shove, but at least I still care about the few important things that keep me from becoming a murdering lunatic. I have **standards**!" I tried to reason with him.

"You just admitted to us that you shot someone in cold blood! You call those _standards_?!" The boy exclaimed, incredulous from what he heard.

"Who would've shot ME or someone ELSE in the same manner and keep doing it to more peaceful stalkers if I haven't intervened! I am not proud of the things I have done in my life, but I won't hesitate to do it again if it means protecting my friends and myself. Morality is a luxury in a harsh place, Saito. I'm not acting like an ass because I want to, it's because I HAVE TOO. Everything I do in the Zone, I do it to stay alive. Come on, you didn't complain about the other times I've mentioned that I have killed people before!"

Saito gave an unbelieving look, "That was different! You said most of them were self-defense!"

"Yeah, well, how do you know if they are even self-defense at all? Listen, boy. I went after the military for their supplies, bandits who rob everyone and backstabbing loners like me to even the score just to get by. I kill to live another day so I can enjoy what little I have in life with my job and the small companies that I've made, even if they don't consider me the same way.

"What happens if the people you care for are involved in your choice to live?"

. . .

"Kid, I got over being guilty a long time ago after a couple weeks stay." My tongue clicked in heavy discontent, "I know I am a coward, but I won't backstab true friends if they proved to me that they won't do the same. Trust comes with a price, just like making a hard decision between saving your own skin and leaving someone you don't know to die. I have seen too much shit in my time in THERE to care about what happens to those around me. Such is life in the Zone."

"Then what are we to you, Farmer?" He kept questioning.

"Pfft-w-what!? The hell kind of question is that?" I threw both of my hands up in the air and proceeded to lay out my foundation of reasoning in the best way I could explain, "I trust the both of you with my life as best friends! Why would I even bother to teach you proper gun handling if there is no trust between us?! Ask yourself that, Saito. If you think I don't trust any of you, then why are we here?"

There was silence between the three of us as Saito stared at the ground while I continued to glare at him behind the closed visor. Then, Siesta decided to break the ice with the soft clearing of her throat and spoke up.

"At least he told us the truth." A weak smile appeared on her face.

. . .

. . .

"Yeah, I guess so." The boy glanced at her.

"Ergh." I grunted along. "Look, can we just forget about this? We still have some daylight to burn until Siesta heads back to her job and Louise tries to find us. It's a beautiful day outside to shoot some guns, even if it looks like a waste of ammo. Please, let us enjoy what hours we have left."

"I think I'll pass." Saito flicked the safety of his gun on and holster the pistol. "Maybe it would be better if we cool off for a while by ourselves."

I gave a short nod, "Whatever floats your boat, kid. Stay safe and don't tell anyone about the shooting lessons, please."

He walked away without saying anything, but I know he'll keep it a private matter between us. The boy is a smarter than he looks. He's braver and morally right than me, but smart enough to keep a secret.

. . .

"Saito," I called out as he turns his head around, "don't change. Do the right thing and be who you want to be."

_Don't become the person like me when times are desperate._

"Think back on what you have heard here and learn from them." With my final words, I turn to Siesta, who is sporting a heartfelt look of concern as she watched the kid leave wordlessly behind us.

Her eyes then drifted to me when she opened her mouth to say something as an expression of guilt, "Farmer, I am deeply sorry for stepping out of-"

"It's not your fault." I shrugged and went to stare at the carved bullseye target. "Both of you were going to find out sooner or later, no matter how hard I'll try to hide it. Let him think on this alone; see how he will look at me now. I may regret some of the things I've done in the past to stay alive, but I have no shame in knowing that I did what I have to do at the cost of becoming a different person. Lying to myself that I'm still the same helps alleviate the fear a little, even if I know that is complete shit."

"But you are not different to us. A person like you has done so much for me!" She held my hand in hers with an unflinching gaze. "Even if you have committed the worst crimes that would give me many reasons to hate you, I will never forgive myself for doing so because you have helped me when no one else would dare to step in. I am in your debt to all of you!"

If only she could see my eyes behind the helmet for declaring how much our friendship means to her, "Siesta, you don't owe us anything. In fact, you should be thanking Saito for speaking up for you. I'm not the hero everyone should be looking up to; he is the one, the boy with potential to do right with his actions. Me, I'm just a greedy scavenger who makes a profit out of anything possible like Cutler and Shishak."

"Your job does not symbolize who you are."

"I enjoy my job very much. I have people, who tried to kill me, owe me favors to make business easier sometimes. Real heroes would throw everything away for a person out of selflessness, but I try to get what matters most. Real heroes forgive and forget what bad deeds are done by their enemies. I like my odds of living more than to let someone else live and try again." I told her honestly.

Heck, I can probably do Sultan's job if I didn't hate him so much. Then again, I'm not very fond on making more enemies than the ones I already have.

"Then I don't see any problem with it, despite your answer. Truthfully, I don't understand why you need to continue to live in a dishonest lifestyle, but I suppose it never hurt to have friends in low places."

That... doesn't sound too good to hear her say that. She should be disgusted with me, not accepting! Why isn't she afraid of me? She now knows that I like the thrill of danger, adventures, and shooting people. Someone like her… it doesn't make any sense at all.

Either she doesn't actually care about what I do or she is used to guys like me.

"Siesta, do you know what the term 'STALKER' means?" I asked.

"You already told me that it means 'Treasure Hunter'." She fixed me a curious glance.

"Well, not exactly that. The title itself holds more meaning, starting in each letters that represents our profession: _Scavengers, Trespassers, Adventurers, Loners, Killers, Explorers, and Robbers._" With my free hand, I counted off the words with every emphasis to have her see my point. "My own government calls us Stalkers. Do you know why? Because we are illegal scavengers trespassing on a dangerous land in hopes of having foolish adventures for riches, self-achievement, exploitation, and many other things to satisfy our lives. Loners like me kill and explore out of curiosity just for the sake of it. Back then, I was brave, I was brash, and I was a smartass. I knew nothing of the horror that awaited me inside the Zone when I came to earn my living, but instead got robbed of the views I used to hold. Now I'm just scared, tired, and paranoid to be close with someone because they either die on my travels before they make it out or they betray me."

Her head shook heavily at my self-depreciation and she held her grip tightly on my hand, "No matter what you may think of yourself or what wrong you have done, you are someone like the rest of us. Even if you have changed greatly through the toils and hardship from your experience, I still believe that you are a good person inside who deserves to have friends that you can depend on."

"After all, the only question you can ask yourself is: Who are you?"

"I'm no one."

"I don't think you are." Siesta closed her eyes as her smiles flared brightly. "I think you are a wonderful person even if you have flaws. But that is okay, because everyone has them."

. . .

. . .

. . .

"I can't remember the last time someone actually gave a damn about me." At last, I made a deadpanned comment and move my head to face her. "Now that I think about it, I'm a complicated head case. Not full blown, violently unstable. It's just that something tells me I am stuck in between wanting friends who gives a crap about me and wanting people to leave me the hell alone while I secretly give a crap about them. Is that supposed to be normal?"

The young lady giggled at my blunt words as her now open eyes searched for mine and unclasped my hand, "You are only human, Farmer. Please do not worry yourself too much, I'm here for you."

"Yeah, but now I'm wondering if I should care that you accepted me or smoke my feelings away and leave it at that. God, why does this have to happen to me? Dying in the middle of nowhere was my biggest concern, now I have to cope with these feelings! What is happening to me?"

Siesta met my abnormal complaint with more beaming positive words, "Perhaps you are feeling this way because you are no longer in danger anymore? That should be a good thing for you, does it not?"

"Why are you even being nice to me?" There I go again, asking stupid questions to make sense of these emotions. "Every time we talk, I start getting more concern with what I say and how I present myself. It's like my mind is making me feel bad over the smallest things to the point where I HAVE to act on them to get rid of it."

"Why were you nice to me in the beginning if you hate it so much?" The maid asked, making that comforting smile again.

"I don't know…"

"You don't know?"

A shrug appeared on my shoulders, "…maybe because you're the first person who isn't out to kill me or stab me in the back. The sad thing about two people trusting each other is that not one of them knows whether the other means what they say and if their intentions are true. For all I know, life is boring for me unless I put myself in harm's way to make it more interesting and distract myself from dealing with reality. The urge to live is still strong, but that's pretty much the only thing I should be focusing on. Escapism isn't something I encourage myself to do."

"Then what are you afraid of?"

"That I'll feel too relax and end up dying without accomplishing anything if I start to care too much again." I replied, tightening and loosening my hands repeatedly. "That I need to have an advantage over everyone I meet to live another day. I've been through constant pain so much that I would drug myself at the beginning just to stop that feeling. Now I feel numb in every fight."

Did I just say that out loud? Shit, I'm getting worse and there's no weed to solve it.

"There is nothing wrong with acting on what you feel." Siesta reassured me with a hug. "Not everything has an answer, my dear friend."

"So what you are saying is that I should stop seeing survival as a way of living and be more open with others?" I didn't bother to return it and just stood there like a fucking tool, unsure of what to do.

"If you see it that way, then yes." She whispered. "That doesn't mean you need to drop your guard for it. You are afraid to get hurt, that is why you push others away to avoid the feeling of pain inside you. Keeping to yourself to feel safe isn't going to last forever."

. . .

. . .

I'm starting to think she's a lot wiser than she looks. Hell, she makes more sense than whatever guru crap comes out of Chef's mouth at the Army Warehouse.

And to think I look toward him for guidance. Man, getting shitfaced, high as a kite, and stuffed with his great food constantly nearly put me at death's door. Unlike those hardass Duty guys, the Freedomers offered medical help at a reasonable price, though Murk would sometimes do his 'daily visits' to mock me for listening to that drunk. Lazy prick…

My body drooped slightly at her words and I breathed a heavy sigh, knowing that what she said is starting to get to me slowly. But deep inside, I know words alone won't change who I am and what I have been through. The damage has already been done. No amount of therapy is going to make all my problems go away with just kind words and pure empathy.

I need to keep going and find what I'm looking for, even if I don't know what it is. Self-accomplishment by keeping trophies of artifacts and personal equipment won't be enough now. I need something bigger… better… more badass than I can handle. Maybe then, my troubled mind will be put to rest and I can focus on settling down somewhere warm and friendly.

But what if I don't want to finish my adventures?

"If you really want to make these feelings go away, I am more than happy to let you share your burdens with me." The maid mentioned to me sweetly. "I could always use an extra hand for my tasks."

"Yeah, sure I'll spend more time with you-." Wait, what? Did she just…?

Yes, she just did. By the Zone, she nearly played her cards right!

. . .

"Did you just give me permission to be nice to you while dumping half of your workload on me?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Now her tone was getting deviously witty. "You must not be paying attention, _again_."

. . .

Oh, it is _on_ _now._ No one gets away being smart with me… She knew I was gonna walk into _that_. I mean, she actually set me up! Goddamn, I didn't think she'll use her womanly charms without me noticing it right away. Well, she isn't going to get off so easily from me, cute or not!

I have a reputation to keep, after all.

"Did I ever mention that you are the most annoyingly greatest friend of all times every time you make sense?"

"Why yes, my dear friend, Farmer, I do believe so. Have you forgotten your memories as well?" Oh, you cheeky little minx… you…

"Well, let me repeat that again: You are the greatest friend of all times and I won't let you, Saito, and I forget about it!" I boasted with much haste and laughed along with her, all while walking over to the second blanket to pick up the AKS-74u and hoist it up the air like a badass. "So, now that everything is fine and dandy, let's shoot some _goddamn guns!_"

_BAM! BAM!_

Two hard shots landed against my chest and gut, knocking the shit out of me as the taste of copper spilled inside my mouth.

"**FARMER!**"

* * *

"I was raised to do one thing. _One_ _thing_ in my life and that is to fight. In my childhood, my father taught me to hunt animals for food when I was young. We would go outside sometimes on the late afternoon and look for game meat inside the forest. Anytime we needed meat, he would always take me to go with him. After I was done with school each day, I walk back home and I see him busily carving from one of the firewood that we've split. When the daily chores were done, the both of us sat in front of the woodstove and he would tell me stories of how his father fought in the first and second invasion of our homeland. He would go on and on about fighting for our country against another seeking to conquer us just like what they did to their surrounding neighbors during the second world war."

Cutler's frozen stare from where he sat made a few passing Noble students uncomfortable at a far distance. A stone wall rested against his head as he continues to open himself to a living soul he knew nothing of. "When I reached adulthood, I was conscripted into the military and was taught to hone my skills in order to become an efficient soldier while the Cold War was still in play. By the time I went to fight as a freelancer in another country, my old man had already passed away from a heart failure at an unknown age. There was nothing for me to fight for back when the Soviets controlled my country, so I made my choice to fight in another government's war. Africa was and is still likely a huge conflict, teeming with battles that are still being fought over ideals of greed and power. It didn't matter what the warlords called themselves, they all shed blood for the same goals and I was no different than them when it came to killing for money, blood diamonds, or kilos of powdery narcotics."

"Even then, I grew bored with the on-going conflict and set my eyes on a struggling nation that is Ukraine. There is something there that... cannot be explained, no matter how accurate every rational theory was applied. A piece of land tainted by the sins of science, where no life grows without deformity and the mind of man can be warped by poor abominable souls living on hate. Nothing stays pure over there, for those that dare enter are left without life inside. Living corpses who pretend to be human, or at least tries to go back as if nothing ever happened to them when they finally leave that damned land."

After a long slosh from the stolen vodka bottle in his hand, he moves his vision up at the clear blue skies and quietly muttered more of his personal life in a hazy tone, "I was already broken by what I have done in the past. What more can a haunted **land** that tempts the greedy and desperate _do_ to someone who is already filled with despair? I thought… it could change me… let me look back and remind myself of what value I once held in my life." Another swing second later and his mouth began to twitch while he weaves his body left and right, holding the bottle close to his chest.

A huge shadow loomed over him, but he paid no mind to the distraction in his groggy state.

"I could have been something great. Years of training wasted for nothing on short-lived squabbles and child soldiers barely able to hold a rifle in their small hands! There were many opportunities to change my course for the better and I ignored them under the assumption that something will change!" Cutler spat out in his bitterness and banged his head against the solid wall once. "My eyes saw potential for everything, but my mind only created excuses to disregard them. Now… now, I have no more excuses. What this world holds, beyond my imagination, will be for the taking and I intend to take _all_ of it…"

With the final drop of strong liquor gone, the empty bottle fell harmlessly on the grass.

"Kuu?" A dark blue scaled dragon chirped curiously and nudged the side of his face when he slowly drifted into a deep slumber. The brief licking did not seem to stir the oddly quiet man except for a few more choice of slurred words moaned under his breath that were too incoherent to understand. "Khuuuuua~!"

The mystical beast then received a light bop on the head before it could lick him again. Its master gave a quiet chastising remark while the dragon's head bowed low and croons in disappointment. "No eating."

Tabitha stole a glance at the recently inebriated mercenary, now snoring his miseries away, and could only shake her head at the pitiful sight as she led her familiar away so his rest was not disturbed. "Follow me."

When the young wind mage and familiar left the area, some minutes had passed by as the man was soon left alone to his own device. More students exited out of the main building to linger around in the courtyard, some sending various looks at the seemingly unconscious soldier of fortune ranging from uneased stares to nasty glares. The most contemptuous, daggered leer directed at him, however, is from the one and only person who took his insult to heart.

"Look at that blasphemous sellsword, sleeping his days away and ruining this perfect academia by being an **eyesore!**" Montmorency fumed furiously at the very same man who spoke freely of rebellion. "Commoners like him are the reason they are below us! They will always remain unrefined, no matter how well we dressed them up nicely."

"_My dear fragrant flower, it is unwise to speak ill of the phantom that walks among us._" Guiche nervously murmured next to her ear, holding a bouquet of roses in his hands. "_He could be listening as we speak._"

"A _phantom_, you say? He is only an arrogant dissenter who does not know his place here, you shameless flirt!" Not a word was minced on how she felt toward her fiancé and the mercenary that defeated him, jabbing a finger at Cutler's direction. "It was your mistake that cost you the duel, Guiche. If you hadn't fallen for that rebel's perverted fool of a friend's tactic, then the fight could have been in your favor instead!"

Guiche tried to gesture at the agitated Montmorency to keep her voice low, "_And I have learned my lesson, my sweet. But that is not the only lesson that I have learned from. These foreign outsiders, Louise's familiars, they have taught me humility! The one called Farmer has shown me the errors of my ways, hence in a brutal fashion, but I know now that they are much wiser than they seem._"

"Men of wisdom do not act out of place like _them_." The water mage seethed in her scowl.

"Not everything is perfect, my beloved." He shook his head at her for being unreasonable. "I must offer my peace to them and hope we can slowly mend bridges than leave them burnt."

The young Noble sighed out loud and palms her forehead with one hand, shooing him away with the other hastily. "Just get your silly intentions over with so I won't have to keep bearing the sight of him!"

"Of course, my love, I will settle this once and for- **AAAAAHHHHHHH!**" Guiche shrieked out, causing the blonde mage to snap her head to where he is looking at and cried out in similar surprise. Everyone in the area heard the scream and turned their attention at the scene, most of them curious at what was going on with a few paling at what might be another repeat of the courtyard duel.

Where the mercenary is seen resting at, the spot was now empty including the bottle. Instead, the duo is met face-to-face with the dull stare of the same man who was supposed to be asleep some time ago. A bloodshot gaze met their terrified eyes as he continue to analyze them closely without saying words for a while, then looked down at the red bouquet held in Guiche's tense grip.

. . .

. . .

"H-h-h-h-e-e-ere!" The shivering boy brought the bundled roses up half way to his, partly to hide it from his piercing stare.

Cutler still hadn't spoken any words to any of them, but accepted the gift without any objection. He glances at the vibrant red flowers shortly, before bringing his cold leer back at them.

"Poisoned?" He shoved the top of the bouquet nearly close to their faces.

"**W-w-what!?** No, it's not! I swear on my life that this is not a ploy to poison you!" The blond flirt almost went down to his knees and begged for mercy, if not for his fiancée stopping from humiliating himself further. "P-p-please! I just want to leave on good terms!"

"He is telling the truth!" Montmorency tried to keep a straight face and noticed his right hand drawing dangerously close for his outlandish firearm. "We mean you no harm!"

. . .

. . .

. . .

It seemed like an eternity to them when he finally answered without any given care and walked away with the roses in hand as the unnoticed crowd around them made way for him, "Apology accepted."

Gasps of relief were heard from the two when they released their held breaths and watched the soldier-for-hire stroll off elsewhere.

"_Founder_, he really is like a **phantom!**" She whispered to the blond flirt in a strain hush as her eyes darted at the backside of the mercenary. "Did he actually intend to shoot us under the thought of suspicion?!"

Guiche gulped down the weight of worriment and cleared his throat nervously, "I'm sure he has his reason to suspect our approach. It doesn't help that we were in front of him and carrying out our conversation quietly."

"But to consider using killing intent upon us…"

"I'm not sure where he and the rest have come from, but it's most likely they are not from a land that allows mercy. The only hint of their whereabouts is from the mad shouting of Farmer."

The girl wrinkled her nose at the mentioning of other familiar, "That savage? Brimir **forbid **the likes of him wandering around, professing raucous forced fornication of young men in this academy."

"He merely jests, my dear, as you said." The forth son of Gramont made an uneasy chuckle. "No matter how convincing it may be, this fellow Farmer only did so to avert my attention on his companions and kept me from thinking clearly. Crude but effective, as it pains me to say this."

"Unfortunately, you are just as easily distracted by anything that threatens your promiscuity." She sounded peeved at him. "What is going to keep you from making more advances at every passing girl you see as soon as you are out of my sight, Guiche?"

"It is not my fault I am a freshly poised rose basking underneath the illuminating sun." He stood tall in a graceful posture.

"_Surely, it is not your fault for also letting your ego get the better of you while Louise's barbarian familiars manage to win with their devious planning._" Montmorency snarky comment shattered the elegant glow around him, causing his shoulders to drop slightly in defeat.

With a small sigh, Guiche held the rose wand to his face in his woeful pondering, "I admit, they are much shrewder than they look. No matter how I try to fathom the possibility of such this Shishak is bound to be my rival, for he graces every step without putting any elegance into it. Can this day go wrong much longer?"

"_Fireball!_"

**BOOOOOOOOOM!**

The groaning duo are soon laid into a crumpled, twitching mess while the rest of young and eldest students took off from the area to avoid the dreaded practice being done by a certain pink-haired mage.

"My apologies!" Louise called over toward Montmorency and Guiche. "I was distracted.

"Look out, she's at it again!"

"Run for it! The Zero is going to blow us up!"

"Stop calling her that name, you ungrateful brats!" Shishak barked at them as he held a large book to his face for protection. "Louise, that was good on the first try. But try to lessen the amount of concentration, unless you feel like bringing an entire building down. Just keep calm and ignore your surroundings."

Louise frowned at her lack of result and shook her heard in frustration as she gestured at him for the book in his hand, "Let me see that tome Cutler took from the private section of the library, please. Founder knows what gave him the silliest idea to think that the answer must be lying there to break inside. The area is restricted for a reason!"

The presumed bartender handed it over to the short girl and nodded, "Perhaps he may be on to something. Take your time, if you must. We have enough space to exercise your unknown abilities, much thanks to them."

"There must be something I must be doing wrong." She mused out loud, glancing at the currently empty spot from where she casted her spell before opening the book. "I have learned and tried every element during my years and none of them turned out to be correct! Every **element!**"

"Every… element?" Shishak asked and stroke his chin thoughtfully.

"Yes, every one of them!" Louise cried out frantically. "I haven't the faintest idea what went wrong for me! The incantations for all the basic spells from the four elements should be correct. But for every different spell I cast, they just explode!"

Shishak looked at the agitated and addled girl with a vacant expression when his pondering ended at what he heard, "Just… _the_ four elements?"

"All of them except for-!"

"Void." He finished her sentence. "Every element except this 'Void'."

. . .

"You don't really think…" She began in disbelief.

"It could be possible." Shishak pointed at the book Louise is holding. "I think Cutler knew the answer the whole time and wanted you to figure it out or accept it, seeing that all the other options are exhausted and beyond my understanding."

Louise frowned more at his answer, "But that is preposterous! Me, wielding the Void in my grasp? It doesn't make any sense. It's nothing but drivel!"

He shrugged with an encouraging smile, "Then what could you possibly have? You have already done all four elements without any success. What is stopping you from exploring the fifth one?"

"Only that the bloodline of a selected royal family member can use it." Her eyes glance toward the side as she thought deep into this.

"So, that means?"

"It means nothing, because I am not part of the royal family. The _Vallière_ family has always held close ties with them due to our deep loyalty, but that is it." She replied.

"But dearie didn't you just talked about the bloodlines? Do you really have to be royalty to wield this special power?" Shishak continues to question the matter. "What if there _is_ little connection between your family and the royal family? Close relations could mean more than just being loyal."

This causes her to pause for a moment at his explanation, "Now that you mention it, I don't remember seeing any royals of Tristain using the magic of Void. Not the Queen, not the Princess, and the King passed away in the previous years… Along with that, my ancestors have held a partial line with the rulers of this country a long time ago."

"Then there you have it!" He clapped his hand once in a small applause. "You might be related to the Tristain royals! All you need to do is use the spells to prove that you are a Void mage."

An amused smirk appeared on her face at his jump to conclusion, "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, familiar. I don't even know how Void magic works."

"Then why not read the book and see what you can find."

"Hmm…" The pinkette read through the first few pages carefully, focusing on any important details that was already known or possibly skipped over for a long moment.

. . .

. . .

. . .

As the time passed, her brows furrowed over the same information she kept reading back just to be sure and soon closed the book promptly with a heavy sigh. "Aside from the lore of Void users, I am only getting the description of the spells from the book of Void: Explosion and Dispel. It doesn't tell me how to do the incantations at all!"

. . .

. . .

"Hm." The tall blond eyed her carefully as he laid his back on the grass. "Void… Void…"

"I suppose there is no hope for me if I cannot even prove that I am what you think I might be. Maybe they are right. Maybe I'm just a failure and should have given up when it became obvious for me." Louise made a long, frustrated sigh to herself. "I'm not just going to be a failure in the academy, but with my own family as well. When the news reaches them, it will be either getting married off or disowned."

"Empty."

"What?"

"Void means 'empty'." Shishak repeated out loud.

"So what if it is?" Louise asked blankly.

"Think about it, dearie. Void is empty. It is just space, so what do you do with an empty space?"

. . .

"You fill it in." She answered.

He nodded, "Yes, you fill in the empty space. But what do you fill it _with?_"

. . .

. . .

"A spell."

"And where are the spells located?"

"Inside the book…" Louise's eyes glean over the descriptions again. "…But I only see the name of the spells. How can I use them if there is no way to do so without the incantation verses?"

"What if you don't need it?" He mused. "These verses you speak of. What if there is a different approach to using them?"

"What do you mean a 'different approach'? An alternative method, you say?"

"I believe so," The man pondered again, "the word 'Void' means empty, but I am trying to remember what can be filled and emptied at will. One thing that pops into my head is 'the mind'."

The short mage joins him on his brainstorm to figure out the mysterious meaning behind the word, "The mind… to think of it? Do I have to think of the spell to use it?"

"That is what I am trying to see. If you can imagine these special spells then perhaps that is the way to use them."

"So, in order to wield the spell I would have to picture it in my head. A rational theory, so I say we will have to put this to a test."

"Then let us get to it." Shishak agreed.

Setting the closed book down, Louise brandish her wand and faced toward an empty direction, away from the academy, before closing her eyes to concentrate.

"Be careful, dearie. Try to think small to see if the amount of energy can be controlled. No offense, by the way."

"You are forgiven." The girl murmured solemnly, holding back a grin from appearing. "And thank you, Shishak. I hope this works."

"We are all in this together, my dear. You can depend on us, no matter our differences."

With the wand pointed upward, she took a deep breath to muster her confidence and form the image of the chosen spell intended to be unleashed. For the longest time, Louise held her stance and concentrate on what she wanted to see.

Her wand suddenly thrust forward majestically as she declared the spell's name in the boldest tone, opening her eyes into a fierce gaze.

"_**Explosion!**_"

* * *

**BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

A slight tremor shook the ground slightly from a distant explosion, followed by automatic fire and the loud booms of a large caliber rifle.

"Firefights? Here in this unknown forest? Now there is a familiar noise I recognize."

Roman shook his head at the professor's cheery input, "It could mean trouble nearby. Keep your head down and your eyes up, we are not the only ones stuck here."

"No worries, my fellow. I may be a third-rate fighter, though I still remember my experience in the Wild Territory. An interesting tale, in fact, but it will have to wait after our investigation." Kruglov checked his automatic rifle one last time.

"Do all the scientists get the fancy guns like yours?" The private pointed at the professor's weapon. "Because I should've joined them instead of the army."

The ecologist gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder as he laughed quietly, "If you believe that every action done by us is 'For Science!' no matter how vague or illogical it may sound."

"Really?"

"Not exactly, but we are always looking for those who are interested in advancing mankind no matter the risk. Survive long enough under our contract and you'll be guaranteed a minor position, but with great benefits, like the rest of the stalkers we tend to recruit in the past."

"_You guys must have great dental plan, too._" The ex-soldier let out a deadpan snark, prompting Kruglov to chuckle again.

"I understand if you are uncomfortable working with the same people you are ordered to persecute. Do not worry if we come across any stalkers on our way, they won't shoot at us scientist and they won't certainly shoot at any soldier in charge of protecting us."

"Don't assume they won't. They already hate us to that point for killing their buddies." Constantine readied his pistol and went into a crouched position at the continuing noise of gunfire. "Let's check it out without being noticed. Follow my lead, professor."

"As you wish." He complied without complaint, falling back from behind into the same crouch.

Some stray bullets whizzed by, a few landing hard against the trees not anywhere near them. Shouts and swears echoed clearly among the fighting as they draw near to observe. The voices held the same heavy accent from any passing stalkers, but it sounded more like a broken dialect used by criminals in prison. Another man's voice was heard on the opposite side, but curiously the two also noted some light-toned French spoken in the mix.

"Is that a woman?" The military private listened hard for the voice. "It sounds like one."

Kruglov tapped on his shoulder and pointed at a large bush in between two trees, "We should take our position there and watch carefully from the side."

"Good idea." Roman flicks his head at the right side. The professor took the left and leaned his side against the cover. As the both of them peek out from the edge, they saw a gun fight being played out from two sides.

_Ratatatatatat!_

_Dakkadakkadakkadakka!_

_Blam! Blam!_

"Anu chiki briki iv damke!"

_Pafpafpafpafpaf! _

"Fuck off, you assholes!" An angry man wearing a metal suit of armor with a tactical vest responded to his attacker with a spray of bullets of his own before taking cover behind a riddled tree. "Bandit scum!"

_Ratatatat! Ratatat!_

_Dakkadakkadakkadakkadakka!_

_Paf-paf-paf!_

"Agh! You BITCH!" One of the attackers cried out as he collapsed on the ground and clutched his lower abdomen, dropping the hunting shotgun in his hands.

"_Looks like we stumble onto firefight between two, no… three bandits trying to off some stalker in medieval armor. One of them is down, but the other two are packing heavy heat._" Roman muttered and kept watching. "_But where is the lady?_"

Just as mentioned, he spotted the female in question hiding behind another tree not far from the man firing his automatic pistol and ducking her head against her knees from the ongoing chaos. Despite wounding one of them with the pistol in her hand, the pressure of the shootout was too much for her to handle. The armored stalker is heard urging the young woman to make a run for it while he distracts the bandits, but she seemed frozen in place.

"You have to get out of here, Siesta! Get help!" He blind fired his gun wildly at the bandits and ended up taking a round to the shoulder. "AGGGH! **Bastards!** I'm going to feel that in the morning!"

"_Shit, there's a civilian in there. It looks like this guy is about to hit the bucket soon if we don't do something about it. I can't go out there, not if that loner fellow decides to shoot me too! You'll have to flank those two thugs and hit them from the side, Professor-!_" Roman turns his eyes away from the firefight to find the professor now missing from his spot. "_What the hell? Where did you go off?_"

He looked around frantically, but failed to see where the egghead was around.

"Shit!" Roman cursed to himself over the loud popping. "Don't tell me he's going to play hero at a time like this!"

_Dakkadakkadakkadakkadakkadakkadakkadakka!_

Bits of wood chips and splinters flew off from every impact landed on the tree by the large amount of rounds fired, "Damn it, I can't get a shot out without taking one instead!"

"Give up while you still can, tin man! We want your loot and your lady friend there."

"How about I give you my bullets in your head! None of you pant sagging gaylords are going to touch her!" The stalker called out.

"Last chance, buddy. You give us what we want and you get to walk away free." Came their final warning.

"I ain't giving you shit, retards!"

"Okay, you asked for it! Waste this faggot, Boris!"

"Do I get first on that piece of fine ass if I kill him?" The bandit named Boris asked enthusiastically as he reloads his gun.

"Not unless you're the boss like me!"

"Hey, that bitch shot ME so I should get dibs!"

"As if! What are you going to do, bleed on her?" The boss sneered at his wounded lackey. "I like my bounty clean and pure so it will be more enjoyable to violate! Hahaha!"

_Pafpafpafpafpaf!_

"SHUT THE FUCK UP AND DIE ALREADY!"

"Enough chit-chat, I want his helmet on a plate!" The trench coat boss ordered.

_Dakkadakkadakka! dakka!_

_Ratatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatatat!_

The submachine gunner continues to lay down suppressive fire while the chief bandit begin to prep a grenade from his cover, pausing to angle his throw to make sure it only hit the pistoleer knight. "Hey! Eat this lemon, cocksucker!"

A burst of rounds from behind caused the now dead man to drop the primed grenade as it came rolling toward the wound third attacker trying to scramble away in panic.

"Ohshitohshitohshi-!"

**BOOOOM!**

The detonation threw up small clumps of dirt all over the place, pelting the last surviving bandit who spun around to find a scientist's barrel pointed at his direction. "What the fuck!"

"Slowly place your gun on the ground and raise your hands over your head if you do not want to be harmed." The professor ordered him.

"Alright, alright! You win!" The thug replied and did as instructed. "Don't shoot!"

The skirmish was finally over as the ex-military could not believe his eyes at what he saw from his hidden spot, "_Third-rate fighter my ass! He knows his way around!_"

Something hard poked his back as his body instantly froze in place, "Oh crap! What now!?"

"Hey, you're one of those soldiers Farmer talked about!" A late teenage boy's voice is heard behind him in surprise. "Drop your gun and put your hands on your head!"

"W-who is this Farmer?" He asked the unseen kid as he toss the Fora-12 to the side and place both of his hands behind his head slowly.

"Why don't you go meet him right now?" The pistol barrel is then pushed again, forcing him to walk out in the open. "And no sudden movements! I heard from him that you guys are no better than the bandits he fought."

"I'm not like the rest of the army." Roman pleaded. "Please, you have to believe me!"

"Prove it then."

As the ex-soldier made his presence known, the stalker knight walks up to the terrified man and presses the automatic pistol against his temple, "Well well well, who do we have here? First a bandit ambush, then an egghead scientist pops up to lend a hand, now the military has decided to join the party. Nicely done, Saito, I'll take care of this asshole with a trigger pull."

"I would advise against doing that." Kruglov lead the tracksuit bandit from behind and made him sit down. "He is my assigned bodyguard. Killing him will not benefit you in the long run, sir stalker."

"It doesn't look like you need his protection. More like, he needs **your** protection," The helmet swiveled to the scientist, "so why should I not waste this miserable, corrupt, sack of shit then professor, _hmmmm?_"

"Because it would not do the boy any good to watch you kill someone in cold blood."

Saito stayed quiet, just like the hiding maid known as Siesta, and observed the situation closely. His face blanched at the first sight of dead bodies lying on the ground and looked away shaking in discomfort.

"He already knows I kill people trying to kill me on a daily basis. This guy is no different than the bandits I have added on my notches."

"He is also promised a spot with us, along with following an official order from his superiors that prevents him from firing on stalkers." The armed intellectual then tilted his head toward a tree when he saw a head peeking out. "Is there someone else with you?"

"Just a friend." He muttered with a hint of concern, taking note of the perforated corpse from the grenade. "_I probably shouldn't have taken her out here…_"

"What is your name, sir stalker?"

"He's called Farme- OW!" Roman got a forward barrel slam for his trouble.

"No one said you could TALK." The stalker growled. "My name is Farmer, smarty pants. Now, what's yours?"

"Kruglov." He introduced himself.

"No first name basis?" Farmer asked.

"Personal preference."

"I see. So let me ask you again, Professor Kruglov, what's going to stop me from blowing his brains out?" Farmer quickly grabbed the grunt by his neck and twirled him from behind as a shield. "And don't tell me you're going to shoot me as a reason. That only work in the movies."

Kruglov shook his head and kept his gun lowered, "That is not my intention. Please, let us be reasonable here, Farmer. You are in my position, and I am in yours. If we allow ourselves the utmost cooperation between us, then us both can benefit each other with our different skillset and knowledge."

"Coming from you, I wouldn't doubt the words of an Ecologist. I've met your bunch before, but telling me that we are stuck on this rock and that we should help each other is not persuasive enough. You're gonna have to try better than that."

"I've met most stalkers who are more fair-minded than this."

"I'm not like_ most _stalkers_, _prof." He cockily remarked.

"Well, I may not be fully aware of their activities, or his, for that matter, but he is my responsibility. I'm sure you also have yours as well." The professor turns his head to the curious maid staring at him. "Think of this in your mind: If you kill my future intern assistant in front of those innocent bystanders, you are only going to be seen by them as a psychopathic murderer with no regard for life. Not only that, but you will be no worse than the criminals you have fought inside the Zone."

"Pfffft, yeah sure! Guilt tripping _always_ works! Listen well, pal. Unless you've ran away from the machine gunfire at the Cordon checkpoint with nothing but the clothes on your back and a hunting knife, I am just like the rest of the illegal trespassers who holds a grudge against the military. They were given orders to shoot us on sight, so we happily return the favor to them. Even if they stopped killing us now, the lack of military presence here means that I'm safe from any retaliation." The seemingly unhinged stalker scoffed loudly and jammed the gun more against Roman's head. "Any more genius attempts to provoke my feelings, egghead?"

Mildly flabbergasted by his answer, Kruglov then said to him, "Do you not care about your actions and what people think of you, my fellow man? If you do this, then my hands will be forced into avenging him."

_Paf! _

"**UGGGGGGHHHH!**"

The scientist's rifle was already raised as Farmer fired a round at his prisoner, who crumpled to the ground and grasped his arm screaming in pain.

"The only thing you should be more concerned about is how you didn't bother to search that bastard thoroughly for his hidden piece." He pointed at the black-finished small pistol on the ground. "You're welcome, by the way."

"My thanks to you for addressing my carelessness." Kruglov replied and kicked the gun away from the wounded bandit before applying the buttstock to his head, knocking him out. This made Farmer whistled at the irony.

"And you called me out for being cruel…"

"It was necessary." The professor slowly places his firearm down and took out a roll of bandage to dress up the wound. "He will live."

"Why are you even helping filth like him anyway? Do you know what bandits would do to women like her? Because he sure as hell won't be asking for cuddles and hand holding, and I'll make damn sure they won't touch my best buds."

"Is that the reason why she and boy are out here with you, to learn how to defend themselves?" Professor Kruglov noted the targets carved on the two trees with the wave of his free hand.

Roman felt his neck being tightened more as he choked a little, "Why? You got a problem with it? The laws of the big land don't apply here, four eyes."

"No. I see it as a logical approach from you." He finished tying the ends of the bandages and took out a zip lock cuff to bind the hands.

"It's logical to me because I care for them and they wouldn't survive for even a moment out of their comfortable living space. Zone, fairy land, it's all the same with danger involved!"

"That is correct. There is danger everywhere, so that is why you care for their wellbeing. Like I said, most stalkers are fair-minded than you, but they seem to lack something inside of them. Do you know what they have lost, Farmer?"

"What?" Farmer asked.

"Their empathy for others during their stay in the Exclusion Zone. You see, I have met many unsavory characters outside of the laboratory." He began explaining as he patted around the still breathing body for more weapons. "Mercenaries, bandits, stalkers such as yourselves, and even those in Duty that still sought for the total destruction of the Zone. At best, they stay in close knitted groups looking out for each other and maybe attempt to make off with the spoils when no one is looking. At worst, however, there are those like you who care nothing more than to achieve their own personal goals that gnaw at them constantly. And yet, you are protecting those who cannot protect themselves. Liabilities that are holding you back."

". . ."

"You understand what I mean. Of course you do. Your method of protecting those you know is to teach them how to do it for themselves. A dangerous job for any stalker traveling on the road, but that didn't stop you from doing it. Most expert stalkers do it out of pride and compensation; something to recollect on as they continue to dream of reaching the fabled center. Judging from your wariness, I would say you have been staying in the Zone for a very long time. Months, or perhaps years of toil and fear? What is your goal in mind, friend?"

"To… to get rich and... feel good about… myself!" Farmer stuttered awkwardly. "Why do you care? I'm just in it for the money so I can get out of living a crappy life!"

"By letting yourself be swallowed by a perilous doom?" Kruglov questioned him.

"You're one to talk. I'm risking my life for the chance to live the good life while you are doing the same for your research that will help everyone else. I don't know what mind games you're trying to pull on me, but it is not going to work! The Zone is where our home is!"

"My fellow," He shook his head again in a slow fashion and made a 'tsk' of disappointment while standing up, "there is no need to return to that desolate purgatory if you can just start over here instead. Life has given you a second chance to live as you want. Isn't this good enough for you?"

"That's so fucking easy for you to say, smartass!" The stalker burst out angrily and suddenly shoves the soldier away from him. "Here! You can have your lab rat back!"

Roman stumbled to the ground and gasped in the fresh air as he fell on his hands. He half-crawled away from the mad man in fear that he will do something rash again.

"I don't mean any offense to you." Kruglov helped the soldier up to his feet. "It's one thing to see someone intent on finding a way for the best things in life, but to see a person like you throw away this opportunity is… well, 'beyond' rational."

"Well… tough luck, you've offended me by saying I should give up my dream! Now, are you going to search that stiff you killed or should I keep the loot?!"

"I'd rather you distract yourself with what you do best, while I will assist your friend hiding behind the tree if you don't mind."

Farmer holstered his pistol and trudged off to where the fresh corpses lay; starting on the least damaged one. "Reconcile with Siesta, you mean? You know French, Professor? Saito, get the guns for me and pile them on the blankets while I look through the pockets."

"Alright…"

"No, I don't speak the language." The professor answered and watched the Japanese boy hesitantly collect the firearms on the ground. "But it strikes me odd to see and hear different nationalities communicate clearly without any reasons of how."

"It's a long story, pal. I'll take you and the jarhead to the headmaster so he can explain everything. The short version of this situation you guys have landed on is that this land is magical."

. . .

"Magic?"

"Yes, you heard right: **Ma-gic**."

Roman turned to Professor Kruglov, "Did he just say 'magic'?"

"Do I need to repeat myself _again?_" He called over his shoulder, emptying out a backpack on the ground. "Junk, junk, gun, junk… Hey, some weed! Nice!"

Kruglov sighed hard at the normalcy the stalker tried to enforce on himself ignoring the obvious strain the boy was exhibiting and the horrified state the woman is in and decided to bring the matter up again. "Are you sure they should still be here after this occurrence? Your friends need you for reassurance."

"And what should I tell them because of this, Professor Kruglov? Hm?" Farmer continued to search the body and used the previous-owner's backpack for storage. "I told them what we stalkers do and how we deal with our problems every day. Unlike your job where earning your salary by sitting in your cozy lab or going outside to take your daily measurements is a breeze, I have to put myself in constant risk for money, adventure, and artifacts. Every day is a competition for me due to others wanting the same thing. Besides, she need the time and space to think of this on her own."

"How they feel, what she felt, during this traumatic experience does not concern you at all?" Kruglov probed.

"Well, I can't _make_ _them_ talk about it unless they want to at their own time. Saito is a strong young man and Siesta will get over it eventually."

"She already shot someone in self-defense out of fear and it's obvious that the boy has never seen a dead body before until now, but you do not worry of what they are going through even for a moment?"

"Do you really think I should tell them that 'everything is going to be okay' and that would solve all the problems for today? I wish it were the case, but then that would be lying. Siesta and Saito already know the kind of life I am in, and this is the very example of it." He unloaded the break-action revolver and placed the bullets inside the vest's main pocket before dropping the firearm inside the bag. "In fact, I owe Siesta my life for shooting that man. It's not like she killed that scum, only gave him a gut shot wound. Thanks for watching my back, Siesta!"

No response came from the tree.

"Let me check on her to see how she is doing, Farmer." Saito laid down the last gun on the tarp and went over to where the maid is hiding.

"You go do that, kid." Farmer moved on to the next body that was hit by the grenade. "Eugh, what a mess this one is…"

Professor Kruglov handed the small pistol he picked up earlier to Roman and walked over to the man crouched over the carcass with his arms crossed, "_Can you at least do something about the situation rather than ignore it? Does their friendship not mean anything to you?_"

"Funny, you're the one that told me to do what I do best." He began to pat around for anything sticking out. "Now you want me to be there for them? Make up your mind already."

"It would do her good if she talked to someone she can look up to."

"I don't have anything remotely helpful to say, if that is what you're wondering…"

"Then **think** of something to say instead of rummaging around the dead's belongings and treating this incident as it is normal." He insisted.

"Like **what?!** What should I tell her, eh?! Should I say it won't happen to her again or that the very last thing I would want for the both of them is to be like _me?!_" The stalker stood up and walked quickly to the scientist, pressing a finger hard against Kruglov's chest. "I can't shelter them from every fighting and all the bad things that will happen in the future, but I can at least make sure they won't have to suffer by teaching them how to fightback. What right do you HAVE to judge ME for not trying!?"

"I don't, but you surely are not trying hard enough."

Just when he finished his sentence, he doubled over and sputtered for a breath after Farmer's right fist met his gut. Constantine instantly stepped in front of him before another punch could be thrown.

"Hey! What the fuck is wrong with you!?" The grunt barked at him. "You can't just hit someone for making sense!"

Farmer pointed a finger at the soldier and growled harshly, "He's giving me shit for not being a better role model. Well, you know what? Fine, I admit it. My life is so screwed up that I can't even comfort someone without making them hate me! There! Is that what you want to hear from me, four eyes? Huh?! IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT ME TO SAY!?"

"Look, just calm down alrea-!"

"**Don't fucking tell me to CALM DOWN!**" He bellows loudly, becoming enraged. "I've been through enough shit with you military assholes gunning me down, mutants wanting to eat me, stalkers betraying me for loot they want, mercenaries hired to kill me, and bandits shaking me down at nearly every entrance to not fucking care at that point! You want to know what I do to keep myself from going **insane!?** I take rookies with me and train them the best I can so I could keep my mind from snapping through distractions! If they live, they live! If they die, then I should have _tried something else!_ At least I did what I could! But _**noooooooooooooooo**_, there are people like HIM that criticize me for not doing more than what I have done! '_Why didn't you do it better?_' or '_Why couldn't you try harder?_' is what I hear from those jerkoffs all the time! Nobody fucking appreciates what I do, and I expect that to happen, but if you think you can do better than me, well **good** fucking **DIDDLY DO **for YOU!"

"So you KNOW WHAT!? Fuck you, _fuck you_, and **FUCK YOU!**" The pointed end of Farmer's metal boot flew at the bandit's face with a loud crunch, knocking the robber back into unconsciousness as blood leaks from his broken nose and mouth.

"Someone stop him from killing that man!" Kruglov yelled when the armored stalker opted to take his anger out on the bound bandit. Roman aimed his gun at the furious man and was about to pull the trigger until the scientist push his arm down right away. "I meant to restrain, not shoot him!"

"Then how am I going to stop him?"

_**BZZZZZZZT!**_

"FUUUUUUUUuuuUUUuuuUUUUUUuuuuUUUUaAAAHHH-!"

_CLANK!_

"_You're working too hard._"

"Shit, where'd he come from!?"

* * *

"What's this?" Colbert spotted a piece of paper on his worktable, a small white rectangular box with large bold words emblazoned lying on top of it, as he walked back inside his storage laboratory.

Taking the note underneath the surprisingly thin box and hearing a metallic rattle, he began to read the words scribbled neatly on the white surface.

_Colbert,_

_Here are more of the bullet samples that you have requested for. There are some other types I would like for you go through, so please do not get them mixed up. The markings on the cases should tell them apart. If you require more materials or funding for advance equipment, I will handle it personally. _

_Also, as a favor, if you can, I will greatly appreciate it if you examine the bottle of liquor hidden underneath the table you are standing at, behind the right leg, for a simpler method of reproduction. _

_Cutler _  
-

"He certainly gets to the point, as always." The professor mused and saw a curved arrow on the bottom right corner signifying him to turn it over to the other side. Doing so, a pleasing smirk slowly appeared on his mouth when his eyes scanned over the large print on the back.

_I STILL THINK YOU ARE WRONG._

"It's good to know that he can display emotions as well." He dryly comments this before picking up the box. "Now, how do I open this curious item? I see a lined hole there, so it must be a flap. Aha! Here we go…"

Out came the bullets pouring onto the table as the mage professor rolled them into a pile. He picked up a short fat one and searched the metal casing until he saw the inscribed markings.

"9-x-18," he repeated it slowly, "a similar bullet like this 9 x 19? What of this then, .44? Goodness, such strange numeral identification. The lettering and words themselves seem to resemble part of the Albionese alphabet, so I may need someone to translate it."

Colbert also noted the plentiful amount of '5.45 x 39mm', '.45 ACP', and '7.62 x 25' as he gave a sigh and began to separate the different bullets into their own piles. "It is the price I pay for agreeing to help him produce his 'centerfire cartridges' in the beginning. Even if I don't give him the whole manuscript to produce the materials he needs, he will just find another way to forward his goal. Men like him knows no bounds."

He smiled humorously to himself at the thought of the name, "Cutler. A fitting name for someone who skulks in the dark with a scoundrel's weapon. Why, he could be Fouquet himself since that's what they both do! Haha."

After he is finished, Jean bent over to peek underneath the table and saw a clear bottle with a dark blue and white label with more indescribable languages above a strange emblem. A black stopper of the sort sealed the liquid from spilling out, but the real challenge itself is how to open it. The professor tried to pull the hard cap off and saw that it stayed stuck in place no matter how much force he used, so he switch his action by twisting it instead.

"This direction is not working, so perhaps the other way around?" Finally the cap was removed, revealing spiral grooves on the top neck of the bottle. This perplexed him at first due to the lack of a cork which would have made opening easier, but a closer examination at the inside of the cap revealed the threads spiraling at the same direction like the ones on the bottle mouth.

"A more secure way of sealing the contents through the fastening of a cap without worry of leaks and gradual degradation from the exposure of outside elements? A fascinating device for something so simple! Just where do you get these small wonders, Mr. Cutler?"

Colbert pans his head around the room as if he expected the mercenary to make his subtle appearance in the form of a dry remark. The under lit laboratory remained silent, much to his mild disappointment. "Drat, I was hoping he'll be back."

_**BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!**_

"**Founder!**" He exclaimed, splashing the alcohol all over his robe.

"_Wonderful_… now I have to clean myself up. And why does this beverage reek of a strong scent? It smells more like a cleaning solution than a drink!"

A small glimpse at his robe revealed clean splotches and some of the oil stains dispersing as he brought a rag out from his pocket and wiped away at the affected areas. Some rubbing later showed cleaner spots and the complete disappearance of the stains used in his now dubbed 'en-jin' model prototype.

. . .

. . .

"I wonder…" He sniffed curiously at the half empty bottle held in his hand, then took a tiny sip from the concoction and immediately spit it out in recoil. It did not help that his eyes had started watering at the strong alcohol when it hit his nostrils earlier. "By the **Void**, there's hardly any taste in this burning liquid! I stand corrected. This _is_ suitable only for cleaning, not_ drinking!_"

As he wiped his mouth with sleeve of his robe, the professor set the bottle on the table and sat on a chair stool to contemplate the sudden explosion outside. The bullets shined with a dull sheen while he picked one up and examine the 9x19's brass casing under a lamp, picking up the details such as the lined grooves and differently colored coned head.

"I should be able to identify the materials in these bullets without much difficulty. Earth magic isn't my specialty, but it doesn't have to be advance enough to give me the answers."

With the staff in hand, Colbert was about to begin his analysis but stopped himself in time when a knock on the door demanded his attention. "Who could it be this time?"

A quick sweep from his hand later, he shut the drawer close and went over to the main entrance to see who else wanted to see him.

"You forgot the curtains." Is the first thing he heard after opening the door and seeing Cutler disheveled and no worse for wear in front of him.

"Mr. Cutler. How pleasant to see you again. I'm sure you have your reasons for coming here unannounced."

The mercenary nearly pushed him aside as he stepped inside the shed lab briskly without delay. He quickly closed the door shut, locked it, and went for the curtains next. After closing them as well, he went to the right side of the window pressing his back against the wall and peek out as if making sure he wasn't followed.

"What is the meaning of this, Cutler? Why are you acting so secretively all of a sudden, aside from your usual behavior?"

"I did something."

"Such as…?"

. . .

. . .

". . ."

"What did you do?"

"It's embarrassing to say." He soon backed away from the window and scoped around the room for reasons unknown to the mage.

_Well, that is a first…_

"And I'm sure it will be the grand gossip of the day once word reaches out, but please tell me you didn't do anything jeopardizing. Did you?" Jean leaned toward him in concern and noticed how bloodshot and droopy his eyes are. "Have you been drinking?"

"No."

. . .

"Yes, but that is not important right now."

"Then what could possibly lead you to consider your disappearance by hiding here in the first place?"

"It has something to do with someone."

Colbert blinked dryly and made an annoyed sound inside his throat, "Must we continue to play this little guessing game of yours every time we meet? Do I need to treat you like a child as well?"

"It's Longueville."

"Miss Longueville?" He gawks at him oddly. "What does her involvement have anything to do with you?"

Cutler almost looked disturbed, if he was seeing this correctly, when he turns his head at him once more. "I-"

_Knock knock knock!_

Someone else was at the door, prompting both men to look at it right away.

"Ignore it." The mercenary sent a chilling glare at him.

Jean returns it with a flat stare of his own and move toward the door, "Don't be ridiculous, it could be important."

"It could be _her._"

"You're being paranoid."

"I have my reason for _that!_" He snapped back just loud enough for Colbert to hear through his hiss.

Professor Colbert shot him a discerning look and continue toward the door before stopping with the knob gripped in his hand, "Who is it?"

. . .

"It's Longueville~."

"_Perkele._" Cutler earned himself another suspicious glance from the professor and quietly scrambled for the wooden boxes piled at the corner. "If she asks, I was never here."

"May I come in, Mr. Colbert?" The secretary's voice sounded much friendlier than before.

"H-hold on, let me clean up here first." His feet carried him to the enjin project with a cloth sheet to cover it over and then back to the door, but not before shooting one more perturbed glance at the crate where his 'associate' is hiding in. When he unlocked the door, he is met with a bouquet of roses in his face and a bright smile from the green-haired woman causing him to get slightly flustered at the scene.

"M-m-miss. Longueville! You are surely in a high-spirited mood today." He scratched the back of his head and coughed nervously.

"I am, most undoubtedly!" She beamed.

"E-e-err-hem… So, are those for me?" He pointed at the bundle.

"Oh you! Have you forgotten so soon?"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"These flowers that you have given to me by leaving them beside my doorway."

"I-I…I… What?"

"You must really like me so much to appreciate our time together." Longueville leaned in closer to him flirtingly.

"But I've never left any bouquet for you." He replied sheepishly and rubbed his forehead.

. . .

"Eh?" Replaced with a confused expression, Longueville tilt her head at his answer. "You mean they are not from you?"

"Yes, that is right. Although I did enjoy our little date, I never actually considered going further into it. Please don't take it personally, you are a very charming woman who holds greater talent in your work, but I doubt things will go far for us without my own old flare back in my youthful years. I hope you and I can remain as friends, if you would allow it."

"No offense taken, Mr. Colbert, but I do wonder whoever left this for me? A secret admirer is very out of place for a mere woman like me."

"Perhaps they are from someone you might know here?" He half-pondered, his eyes flicker to a certain pile of crates for a second.

"Not unlikely in Tristain, as I do have a few associates inside the country." She pondered in deep thought. "Although, I do not know if they have any particular interest in me and there is something odd about this one enigmatic figure wandering the halls at night…"

"Of whom do you speak of?" Jean refrained from palming his forehead at the obvious answer next to him.

"That is the question I want to know. Every time I turn around or look at a certain direction, that person is gone right away without a trace. I get the feeling that someone is watching my every movement."

Another restraint of sighing loudly in his concern expression made him lean against the doorway, "It's probably just a student who has a crush on you. Knowing them, young love isn't uncommon in this academy. However, I would encourage you to exercise caution if things go too far."

"You worry too much, Mr. Colbert! I'm sure it is only harmless admiration." The secretary giggled in jest.

"We are but working associates, so I must confer my worry for you. Any sensible person would do so with others in the same job."

Longueville patted his shoulder with a friendly smile as she took a step back afterwards. "I understand. The times can be rough on all of us as it passes by. Closure with those familiar around you are most preferable at your age. By the way, I've been meaning to ask you earlier about that strange contraption behind you."

"Ah!" The balding professor turned his eyes at the now uncovered Enjin. "It's just a small project I have been fiddling around with for the past months or so. Something to pass the time and keep my mind sharp, I suppose. In fact, I intend to share this with my students when it is completed."

"I'm sure they will appreciate your knack of tinkering, which shows to know how talented you are with your hands at innovations." Her warm comment caused a small blush of embarrassment to appear on his face as she said this.

"You are far too kind, Miss Longueville." He smiles back awkwardly.

"Please, just call me Matilda. Anyway, it is best if I return to the headmaster just to make sure he doesn't lead himself into any trouble while I am gone. For someone who pretends to be senile to hide his antics, he does act the part unintentionally sometimes…"

She gave a small wave with her free hand and went to turn around toward her intended direction, "I'll also leave you to your work. It must be hot and stuffy inside for you to leave the windows open just to let the breeze in, Mr. Colbert."

"Jean will do just fine, Matilda." Colbert waved back and called out his friendly farewell to her as the door slowly closed. "Good luck dealing with Old Osmond!"

"I will!"

With the door finally shut, the professor made his way to the stacked crates and peered inside the empty gap that was once occupied by the mercenary in its place then traced the connection back toward the opened windows allowing small gusts of wind to blow the curtains into a flutter of rippling cloths, flying in their fixed place.

**BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM! **

The thunderous clap of another explosion nearby shook the shed again, causing what little of furniture he has to wobble and jump on the hardwood floor. This time he paid no mind to it and stood there in dumbfounded silence, still staring at the crates that hid Cutler with a blank expression.

"Cutler, you devious rogue…" He gripped the staff tight in his hand and twisted his mouth tensely.

"…you sly dog, you…"

. . .

. . .

"You **love-struck** _fool_, you! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"

He then burst hard into his own laughter at the level of awkwardness he had held inside of his body and realized that the inexpressive man he saw as a cold blooded killer had it even worse than _him!_The most serious soldier-for-hire who intends to form a revolution of his own, who gives his candid words of displeasure toward the mages, cannot even stand to confront a crush and share his feelings to her because the thought of it scares him that much!

"Haha-ha-haha-ha-haha!" Jean wiped away the tears from his eyes and sat comfortably on his stool chair, relishing the sight inside his head of the horrified expression Cutler made and continues to chuckle loudly after finishing his brief howling. "Oh, Cutler… To think that you can even show affection for a woman so openly without letting them know never cross my mind at all. You just keep surprising me more and more."

His eyes landed on the enjin once more and the redness soon reappeared again, "She called me a talented…"

* * *

_Creepy child_.

Matilda smiled subtly to herself as soon as she walked from the shed away from his earshot.

_Of course it has to be Cutler himself. Who else has been watching me so closely?_

The secretary made a beeline toward the direction of the headmaster's office and pretended she was on urgent business. "It all makes sense now: the staring, the stalking, and now roses outside my room? The thought of him fancying me almost never struck my mind."

_So he knows nothing about the plot then… _

"Of course, I will have to keep alert still if he manages to catch on." She muttered under her breath and took a brief look around her surroundings, satisfied that no one was around.

On her way to the office, many students passed by her without a second look inside the large halls. Small chatters of popular activities such as tea and cake and the upcoming exhibition festival for their familiars filled the air, along with other social norms being discussed freely. Few however, felt the need to whisper amongst themselves on what happened in the previous days after the summoning ritual prior to their first-hand experience with the summoned beings from lands distant and unknown to them.

"_It seem one of Louise's familiars has managed to make her explosions more powerful than usual!_" The black caped student gossiped next to an acquaintance.

"_By the Founder! As if they weren't causing enough trouble here with their unacceptable behaviors of barbarism._" Another second-year replied back in a horrified tone. "_Now we have to watch what we say, lest she wants to cast her wrath upon us!_"

"_Forget the Zero; we should be more worried about her familiars._ _They managed to beat Guiche with their strange firearms unlike any flintlocks I have seen before! I fear it's only a matter of time before they decide to take matters into their own hands and try to turn the commoners against us!"_

"_I fear that time will come earlier than soon at any moment now…"_

She rolled her eyes at that last comment and continued her to Old Osmond just to make due on what she told Colbert before moving on to more important matters later on. When she arrived at the front of the entrance, her hand rapped against the wooden door once and waited for his reply.

"Who is it?" The old man's faint voice called out.

"It's Longueville, Headmaster Osmond. I am just checking up on you. May I come in?"

A hearty chuckle is heard from him, "Do come in! I didn't know you cared for me that much! Taking a fancy for an old gentleman like me?"

One of her brows gave a violent twitch at hearing this, "_As if._"

Osmond laughed again and blew a large ball of smoke from his pipe at the same time she was about to enter, "You just happen to arrive at the right moment, Miss Longueville! I was hoping you could assist me with what goals beyond me our silent friend is after regarding our geography."

"Geography?" Her eyes spotted the familiar man in the blue leather suit right away right after opening the doors. "Mr. Cutler. Of course it's no surprise to see you unexpectedly, as usual."

"Longueville." He gave a quick nod to her before turning his gaze back to a large map covering the headmaster's table.

Headmaster Osmond shot a curious glance over to the green-haired woman with a hint of amusement, "I take it you two have been bumping into each other many times already?"

"More or less." She sniffed indifferently.

The secretary got closer to the table with confusion etched on her face as she looked over the unfurled parchment next to him. She saw the main kingdoms and the named landmarks that were carefully drawn on the massive continent of Halkeginia, so what is it that he needed help on? Recognition? Direction?

"Comparison." Cutler droned off, tracing his pointer finger slowly over the map. "England."

"I beg your pardon?"

Matilda looked at where he was pointing at and spotted the floating kingdom of Albion, her home, unbeknownst to them, and gave him a questioning glance at his statement.

"England, a version of this country from the world we outsiders come from." His finger then move toward Tristainia. "Belgium."

"So you are listing off your countries and are comparing them with ours to see if they are similar." The old man was beginning to catch on while stroking his beard. "I would find it fascinating if both worlds are almost the same. Just imagine Colbert hearing this. He will have a field day with you, for certain!"

"Germany. France. Italy." Cutler continued his search for what lands he could recognize. "But no other countries beside that."

"Ah, those are uncharted territories. There are other civilizations unknown to us from the East side of Halkeginia, but so far we cannot progress further without traveling near or through Elven territories."

"Elves?"

"Similar to humans, but they are a race of their own with different societies, views, and the ability to commune with nature magic. Compared to us mages they don't simply control the powers from within their bodies, but to become one with nature to bend it."

"Or so we heard, given our scarce contact with them because of the hatred between us." Longueville added.

"And what is the cause of this conflict between elves and humans?" He asked.

"A dispute that happened centuries ago long before the disappearance of the Void mage Brimir. It is said in the legends that when the creatures of darkness that are currently still on these lands rose up against humanity that the founder of Halkeginia requested the assistance of the Elves to help cleanse the lands of these monsters as part of their alliance. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, they did not willingly lend a helping hand thus earning them the ire from humans today."

"But there must be reasons for that." Cutler motioned at the small portrait that was labeled _Elven Lands_. "An alliance is only legitimate if both sides agreed with each other on at least one main principle of certainty. From what I see, one side does not simply dishonor a request for little to no reason depending on their reliability to act. What are the Elves' reasons for not sending their forces in the first place?"

"A question we may never know, nor would we want to risk asking so openly." Osmond warned him. "I would tread lightly with this matter around the more pious figures if I were you. Perhaps to say nothing of it at all if you do not wish to be held accountable for heresy."

The stoic mercenary nodded, "I understand your concern and will not bring up any more sensitive topics if it can be helped."

"It is better this way, with the reputation of this academy keeping us away from wary eyes. Of course, you already know that or should realize it by now. Speak nil of this, lest the students decide to take it with greater offense and have you prosecuted."

"Then it should be kept this way, for both of our sake." Cutler looked up to the headmaster briefly. "But this will not mean no action will be taken for it. Eventually, change will come. It is futile to resist it. There will be some loss of control, some more requirements added, and even the threat of losing what we cherish the most, but there is no stopping what must move forward so we can better ourselves and our future generations."

"Wise words spoken from a sellsword who has seen and heard many mysteries that still lie dormant behind him, if not for good reasons." Old Osmond smiled crinkly at the serious man who tried to hide his drunken state, if not very well. "Even if you have told not one thing about them, I can see it clearly in your eyes."

"I have witnessed many things, Headmaster Osmond, but I cannot tell you properly if they remain unsolved. Such is life in the Zone."

"Oh? Then what can you tell me about your one true experience in this quaint 'Zone' you have told me about? Come now, don't be shy once more. Miss Longueville should have a chance to hear of your tales now that she is here."

"I am quite curious of your unknown background, now that it has been mentioned." She smiled at him for encouragement.

A small long metal object clattered on the Headmaster's table as the old man picked it up, examining the running threads and the rigid shaped hexagon resting on top of the narrow body. Longueville could only blink silently in confusion.

"Some sort of odd looking nail for fastening?"

"A bolt." Cutler corrected.

"A bolt?" He questioned while rotating the peculiar object.

Cutler pointed at the metal bolt that he is holding, "A Stalker's best friend for finding safe passage. So crude and simple, yet effective enough for anyone, even an inexperienced…"

* * *

"**IDIOT!** What has that fool gotten himself into _this time!?_" The shriek of a furiously irate Louise filled the healing ward very quickly as she kicked the door open to the room where one of her familiars is residing in, with Shishak following from behind. "If I haven't known any better, I would have had you collared to the bed stand as a guard dog than let you roam free like a rabid mu-!"

The sight of a large armored figure kneeling in front of Farmer's bed while spinning his head eerily around in a constant circle made her stumped at the next words she was about to use to describe her partner/servant in ill terms. The fact that there are two other people she did not know of standing there in shocked silence didn't help explain what was going on right now.

Her mood did not lighten up when she notice how lifeless the spinning man's voice became when he begin to chant gibberish toward the unconscious treasure hunter, as if reciting a prayer ritual to an unknown deity. The two men, assuming that one of them in the fully covered attire is a male, continue to gawk back and forth from the droning heretic to her small stature while the man wearing a mixture of green and black pointed at her hair with a flat look.

"_Pochemu volosy tak rozovyy?_" He whispered to the glass dome faced person. "_Eto chto normal'no?_"

The now identified man in the strange green bulky armor placed his hand where a chin is supposed to be at and waved the other in a small twirl, "_Vozmozhno, eto budet yarkaya kraska podobnogo? Diyeta ne nravitsya nash?_"

Normally, she would be yelling her lungs out at the open display of disrespect for not properly addressing her presence, but Louise was far more concerned with an obviously insane man possibly far more deranged than her unconscious familiar lying on the bed.

"Can someone tell me what in blazes is going on right now!?" She nearly screamed her question out.

"Louise!" Saito rushed over to her immediately after seeing that she had calmed down for now. "Farmer got attacked by some bandits!"

A look of disbelief almost crossed her face at the mentioning of those brigands, "Bandits? Close to the academy? How fallacious it sounds! There is no way they would be able to reach that far here, yet alone, put someone like him bedridden aside from a surprise attack."

The blond bartender glances nervously at the droning person sitting crisscrossed on the floor and inched closer to the pinkette out of concern, "Yes, that is something to fathom about…"

The teenager shook his head and pointed at the loathing man, "But they are not _your_ bandits, they are his! The ones that come from the same place we are from!"

"Good grief, there are more outsiders appearing in Halkeginia?! **Inconceivable!**" Louise palmed her face in distressed and muttered more tamed cursing quietly. "Just what we need, more barbarians and their ridiculously powerful firearms strong arming their way like it is nothing!"

"_As if the Nobles aren't doing the same thing…_"

"What was that?"

"Nothing, I was just wondering who that man in the light green suit is and why that crazy guy is praying to Farmer?"

"Hm?" She turned her attention back to the eerie commoner still chanting his creepy words out loud, remaining oblivious to the current occupants standing awkwardly at the sight of him. The black and green young man shuffled his feet and was inching away from the fanatical preacher while the strangely helmeted other watched with cautious fascination.

"Kakoy interesnyy ritual." He rambled to himself, taking a small booklet from his belt and pulled out a strange long tool with a clip on its upper side. When he pushed down the top of the device, she saw that a metallic point came out from the bottom as he then pressed it down on the opened paper pad to jot his notes in. She couldn't see what it did, but she figured that the tool he is using was meant for writing judging from the motion he made.

A researcher, perhaps?

"_Dearie_," Shishak bent down next to her head and whispered urgently, "_it is not safe to be around the preacher. Let us move away without disturbing him._"

"Eh? Is there something wrong with him other than his obvious lunacy?"

"_He is a __**killer**__._" His eyes continued to watch the mad man warily. "_People like him who is part of a large group willing to protect the secrets of the Zone are known for their crazed worship and violence, as they kill all intruders who have reached too far near the center in order to keep it safe and hidden._"

"He murders people in the name of his religion?! Well he certainly won't leave here until the church hear of this! Heretics like him are the reason they are boiled!" Louise screeched and pointed an accusing finger at the gray-green colored rambler still ignoring or not yet taking notice of their recent arrival.

"I believe that would be unwise to do so." The green eyed man hesitated as he spoke with fear in his voice. "Monolith fighters will fight back with no regard for their life to escape capture, even to the point of suicide. They would rather take their secrets to the grave than allow anyone to know of it."

"T-to…to their _grave_?" Her confounded tone manifested the amount of shock from what she heard as Louise paled at the explanation given by him. Shishak only nodded quietly.

"Monolith…?" Saito questioned the name.

"A tower of Great Power imbued within the structure, or so I've heard, that will grant any wish to those who have managed to succeed in entering the ruined nuclear power plant alive. We call it the Wish Granter."

"So… let me get this straight. The guy that is spinning his head around and shouting out some kind of prayer is protecting this Wish Granter?" The boy began to piece the puzzle together in his head. "So they call themselves the Monolith because they worship this thing. I can see why they won't allow other people beside their own to go near it, but wouldn't the radiation inside the plant kill them slowly?"

Louise gave an inquisitive look at both of them and sighed heavily at the new information that made little sense to her.

"That is a mystery no one, not even the scientists, can figure out. There have been theories that suggest the possibility of their immunity, both mind and body. It could be faith that allowed them to have these extraordinary abilities. One thing for certain, they are not to be taken lightly and will shoot anyone on sight for their belief in the Monolith."

"Yeah, that's why we need to kill this fucker now." Farmer's voice cut through the chatters of the room, bringing everyone's now undivided attention to him.

"Farmer!" Louise and Saito shouted in unison.

Shishak stood quietly and preferred to listen to what the coarse man has to say.

The young man with the green head wrap and the full suited researcher said nothing as well, deciding to watch this one circumstance play itself out through their observation.

"I see you have awakened from your slumber, brother." The fanatical fighter finally spoke at last in a monotone voice, ignoring the threat directed at him. "I was afraid I might have cooked your brain and turned you into a zombie."

"Brother?" Louise shot Farmer a suspicious glare before turning her eyes back to the heretic and did not bother to question the sudden understanding of his tongue. "You never said anything about being related to this heathen!"

Farmer shook his head furiously as he wobbled himself slightly up from the bed, "I never said anything about him because I don't even know the guy in the first place! For all we know, he's probably suffering from some other fucked up mental issues which bring up two big questions: Why hasn't this psychopath flipped out yet and why isn't he trying to kill us?"

A hollow chortle came from the preacher's voice, bringing up greater tremors in her body as the man spoke with a nonchalant attitude.

"Because unlike the rest of our poor brethren, I have seen the Zone in a different light after the voice of the Monolith had disappeared. No more shall I follow the voice that leads me away from my salvation, for I have found my own when I looked up to the sky with much awe to behold. The others may still seek for their silent Monolith, to appease their dead god who lays dormant inside the tower, but I know where the true power lies within. Not in some structure, but all around us."

"I can't tell if this is supposed to be a good thing right now or that I should shoot you before things turn hairy."

"Mock me if you want, brother. But do not think you can hide the truth from me any longer! You follow the Zone, and just the Zone itself! I have heard your cries of anguish for it." The former Monolithian walked closer to the seemingly nervous stalker. "You are not like the rest of those greedy stalkers! Not like those hateful Dutyers! Not even close to those Freedomers! Your eyes have seen the path and your feet have stayed true to it. There is no denying what is inside your very mind!"

"Listen buddy, I don't know how much damage the radiation has done to your brain and I don't really care at all but your mumbo jumbo is not going to get me to join your stupid club!" The steel plated stalker backed away slowly from the mentally deranged man. "And stop calling me brother! I've never seen you before in my life to warrant the title from a kook like you!"

"That is funny, coming from you, an absolute worshipper who denies his own worship." He replied back firmly.

"Because I don't worship the Zone, I respect it!" Farmer snapped back at him. "There is a huge difference between giving yourself to whatever unknown entity that it is and giving it room. You are wrong; I am fueled by greed for luxury!"

Another empty laugh filled the room and sent a larger shiver down Louise's spine causing her to shake a little.

"This amuses me. Sadly, we cannot prolong this any further due to a greater need that requires our attention. Several souls under my protection, inside my flock, have been taken from me. A few of them from this contemptuous place of study over time and just now while I was on watch for the profligate. I aim to bring them back unharmed and maybe willingly, but I cannot do so without your help."

"And why should we trust you, holy man?" Shishak spoke up with caution. "What do we even get out of this and how do we know it is not a cleverly made trap?"

"Yeah, why should we even listen to you anyway? You could be planning to kill us for your kooky cult!"

The man raises his right hand in pledge, "Aside from gaining trusted allies who can vouch for any of who partakes in this rescue mission, marauder, you will also gain my trust and my blessing. Somewhat near this college is a village that has accepted me as one of their own for the duties I have partaken there. If you succeed, you will be welcomed as saviors to them. I also believe that you know one of them rather closely as one of the serving maids, lost one."

Farmer nearly got into his face when the preacher directed his statement at him, "Are you saying that Siesta was taken from HERE? Alright, who is the fagtard that did it?! **WHO?**"

"Ah, so you do know her." He ignored having to be shaken violently from the increasingly perturbed familiar.

"GODDAMNIT, FUCKING TELL ME WHO ALREADY!"

"A noble who wields water like the crashing wave. I am here today to stop him from taking more innocent souls for his own pleasurable defilement and to free the ones who willingly subjected themselves to his rule."

"Siesta… has been bought off by a Noble?" The boy's expression turned into horror at once from hearing this. "Oh god, he rapes the maids!? Who the hell does he think he is to keep them as sex slaves?!"

"His name is Count Mott, and by the time I am done with him, he will be counted dead on my rifle's collecting notch." The preacher bent down to pick up a strange looking rifle with bits of unknown components and a row of coils running down inside the exposed barrel. Looking closely at the middle of the gun, crossed lines can be seen scratched into the body symbolizing the crude method of counting the deaths of one's enemies.

"For I am Father Pariah; the one who will bring paradise to this corrupt world and allow the betterment of the people to rise from this sinful earth not as puppets and playthings, but as their own masters. The Zone has brought us all together for a reason to see to it that justice will not go unpunished, that nothing will stand in our way. Will you walk on your feet and help spread the message of the Zone so the people will hear it and be inspired? What say you, my brothers? Will you help me finish what I have started? What say you all?"

. . .

. . .

. . .

"I'm fucking in, but I still think you are a kook."

"Count me in too. However, I will have to refrain from the worshiping."

"Sorry, Father, I am doing this because it is the right thing to do. I rather not be involved in any religion."

. . .

"An unfortunate let down, but nonetheless, you are all doing the good work of the Zone no matter where you stand. Come forth, we have much to do."

* * *

_A/N: Well, after a long time of Fallout, Fallout, and more Fallout, I have to say this is my best chapter I have managed to crank out so far. Let me hear your own personal thoughts as well and stay tune for the coming of chapter 7. Peace out, fellow stalkers. _

_P.S. Try reading Pariah's dialogue in a monotone voice. Extra bonus if with a slavic accent. _


End file.
